


Moonlight

by Madison



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst, Blackmail, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Romance, Sexual Content, Underage Character, Underage Sex, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-11
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2017-11-14 01:33:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 136,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/509897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madison/pseuds/Madison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moonlight provided the spark they needed but can they find the rest of the path themselves?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Heated

Her blood was pulsing while sweat beads were rolling down the heated skin of her forehead. Her lips were dry and she was dying to run her moist tongue over them but she could not. Her perfect cherry lips were parted and her breathing was shallow. Another wave of heat hit her body and she felt her insides swirl around. While she tilted her head to the side, she had no choice but to glue her lips together to prevent a moan from escaping her.

Her tiny hands fumbled with her yellow sheets as she tried to control herself. She kicked the blankets off her body with her feet in an attempt to cool herself but it only made the situation worse.

Even the gentle breeze caressing her body, which was coming in through the open window, was enough to ignite a fire within her. Her vision was almost blurry and her mind was blocked from all thoughts. She could not think straight and she could not see clearly. It was as if the only thing guiding her were her instincts.

Strangely she found the strength to raise her upper body and immediately her gaze fell upon the night. It looked  _chilly_  and inviting. There was something out there calling out to her; she wanted it and she  _needed_ it. Without thinking, she got on four and she advanced towards the edge of her bed.

Once she reached the edge she slightly extended her neck and felt the wind's full blast. Her body was drenched in sweat and the coolness of the air caused her to shiver. Goosebumps appeared all over her skin and she threw her head back as she wished to be touched. It was his hands she wanted ravaging her body.

Whose hands?

She was not sure, but he was out there.

The art of fighting was never something that appealed her, but right now it was as if this hidden side of her was attempting to claw its way out. She wanted to follow it and see where it would lead her. Desire was burning within her and there was nothing she wished more than to have someone extinguish the flames.

No more thoughts crossed her confused mind as she set one foot on the cold floor of her bedroom. For a moment, she stopped. She listened to every sound and every movement that happened in her house. Could she leave? They were not there, they would not know. Only he would and he was pre-occupied with his own thing for now.

Hesitation left her body and she took a step forward and then another. Afterwards, she put her foot on the edge of the window and balanced herself with the sides. Once both her feet were on it, she gazed down. Did she know how to fly? No. But she wanted to throw herself in the emptiness; she needed to fall.

And she did.

When a lack of fear filled her, she made the jump. But her instincts did not fail her and before she was about to crash against the ground, she found herself levitating above the garden. _Freedom._

Her mind was not aware of the direction in which she was heading but her body knew and it began to take her. She wanted to stop herself, to turn around, but she could not. The desire inside of her was too strong to put a halt to it. She had the impression that if she did not satisfy it she would die. Her will to live was kicking in and to be honest, she did not wish to not do this.

Her previous doubt was completely gone.

All she wanted was him and she was drawing closer.

She could taste him.

His scent even reached her nose and she found it intoxicating. So  _manly_.

There was no reason behind her need for him, at least none that she could comprehend. She just  _had_  to have him. Nothing would stand in her way.

Her blue eyes had a twinkle in them as she landed right in front of his door. She stood there for a few seconds wondering if the best option was the door or his window. The latest would be most likely open, but she could probably easily find a key to the front door. Finally, she settled on the fact that the window seemed like the simplest option.

Her bare legs began moving and she marched in direction of her goal with her mind not following. Her heart hammered inside of her chest with each step she took. He would be hers and she would be his. There was nothing she wanted more than to have him bury himself deep within her and take her places she never experienced before.

Before she reached the window, she waited and closed her eyes. She had to make sure he was the only one in the house. She would not tolerate any disruption, though if they were any, she'd take care of them. A smirk appeared on her lips when she confirmed that he was alone. All hers.

The smirk grew when she arrived in front of his  _open_  window. He made it too easy, not that she was about to utter a complaint. She grabbed on to the edge and in one swift motion she pushed herself inside. She landed silently, his sleep never disrupted.

Like a feline, she made her way in his direction. As soon as her eyes made contact with his form, it was as if something exploded inside of her. She could feel more sweat drops rolling down her neck and she knew he was the key. He'd make her feel better. Making sure she would not wake him, she  _bounced_  on his bed right onto the empty side.

Her body was aching for his touch and the sight of his hand resting by his side was nearly too much to bear. She craved him with every inch of her body and the view of his naked sturdy chest was not helping her current situation either. She could feel the puddle of warmth in her stomach grow in intensity. Lust never filled her mind so much.

She ceased to think once she placed both of her legs on each side of his body and then rested her ass on his groin. Even with everything she did, he was still out cold, which did not surprise her. The tiniest smirk appeared upon her lips as she slowly bent down while wanting to  _play_. She wanted to taste him. Gently, she poked her tongue out before running it over the skin of his neck.

That seemed to wake him up.

He opened his onyx eyes when he felt a presence near him. While his vision was adjusting to the darkness his other senses were in full alert and thinking a threat was near. Right away though, he recognized the familiar ki near him but that did not ease his confusion. He could have pondered more on the subject if her scent did not hit his nose so powerfully.

 _Arousal_.

Finally, his eyes widened as he could properly see. He gazed up at her and observed the sight in front of him. Her legs were completely bare and the clothing did not start until his eyes reached her lower regions. All she had on was a pair of lace white panties. A small panic took him over, but his eyes trailed further up nonetheless. Her top consisted of a small pink tube; she was barely decent.

Perhaps it was then that the situation dawned upon him. He turned his head to the side which was just enough to catch a glimpse of the time.  _2:00am_. What in the world was she doing at his house, in his  _bed_ , dressed like that? Still a little  _messed_  up from just waking up he struggled to sit up in his bed. Even though he changed his position she kept hers.

She was looking at him but her eyes were flickering in every direction except his face. He grabbed her shoulders to try and get her to focus on him.

"B-chan, what are you doing here? How did you get here?" Did she walk outside like this? No, she probably used a car.

A seductive smile appeared on her lips as she bent down and her warm breath tickled his ear. "Flying."

He frowned. "You don't know how to fly." He knew her his whole life, if she did he would know.

"Guess it was my little secret," she responded before capturing his earlobe between her lips and sucking on it.

He stiffened the instant he felt the contact. What was she trying to pull? This was Bura. Bura was Trunks' sister. _Little_  sister. Since his hands were still on her shoulders, he pushed her away. As he did so, her facial expression drastically changed. He observed as her eyes narrowed. Then suddenly, he found himself being harshly pushed and trapped between her and the bed. When did she gain all this strength?

This was not the girl he knew. "B-chan, what's wrong? What happened?" he inquired clearly worried. This was not the Bura he was familiar with, this was someone else. Sure she was stubborn, and somewhat bossy, but this was different. Why was she trying to act all  _seductive_?

Her face seemed to soften at his concern. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Couldn't he see just how much she needed him? Couldn't he smell her craving for his body? Why did he deny her what she so badly required? But it didn't matter; he was still a man and she might still be young but she saw it happen over and over again. They were all the same and all they needed was a little push.

Perhaps he needed to be seduced.

But wasn't her desire enough to drive him wild?

As he gazed at her while she began to get lost in her thoughts, he noticed something strange. Her skin was  _scorching_  hot. He trailed one of his fingers over her flesh only to have a  _puddle_ of sweat form on it. His frown deepened; something wasn't right. She was panting, hot, sweating and nearly naked in his bed. This couldn't be  _her_ ; something  _had_  to be wrong.

He would have probably gone further in his thoughts if she did not grind her ass into his crotch. His frown disappeared and instead his eyes widened in surprise once more. For a moment, all he could do was lay there and watch as she forced her perky ass into him. Her head was tilted as far back as she could manage and her fingers roamed over his naked chest.

As the seconds passed, he regained his senses and the feeling of shock dissipated. He needed to get her off of him. He was not sure what was going on but it had to cease. He used more force than he wished to and changed their position. The push was so harsh that she fell on her back but since she clung on to him she dragged him down with her.

There she was, lying on her back with him between her legs.

The instant they were in that position, an intense heat wave went through her body and she felt the puddle of warmth in her stomach get out of control. And it almost happened. Immediately her scent betrayed her to him and he was shocked. Did she just nearly climax? His crotch was pressed hard against her and he could feel the wetness through his own clothes. He had to leave; he had to be far from her.

He was not even hard and that made her frustration grow. Did he not desire her the way she desired him? Her body guided her to him, so it made no sense. Shouldn't he feel the same heat within? Every time his skin touched her, it was as if she melted inside. The more contact he gave her, the more she craved it. She couldn't let him slip through her fingers.

But she felt he was ready to pull away, to release her. In an attempt to keep him with her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Take me, Goten," she whispered completely breathless.

"B, you don't know what you're saying," he said while attempting to bring her back to reality. His try was pathetic, but she was making it so  _hard_  – no pun intended.

In his current position, all he could smell was her. He was drowned in her scent, in her oh sweet divine scent. She smelled like cherry spiked with the sweetest juice. She was hot and sweating, but all his nose could breathe in was the heavenly scent. Her lust and her arousal filled his nostrils and without himself realizing, he stopped trying to pull away and instead he was inhaling heavily.

" _Fuck_ me _please_ ," she begged.

He shook his head against her skin as if her voice pulled him away. It wasn't right. Why was she doing this? Bura was such a sweet girl, innocent. Granted he saw her flirt a few times but nothing a seventeen years old shouldn't do. For  _Kami_ 's  _fucking_  sake, she was  _seventeen_ years old. Did she know what kind of trouble she was trying to bring him? No he wasn't touching her, he did not do anything wrong. But… what if someone showed up? What if  _Vegeta_  showed up, or even Trunks? How does a 28 years old explain what a 17 years old is doing in his bed, her core drenched and begging to be  _fucked_?

This was bad.

She was like his little sister, sort of. He did not see her the way she wanted to be seen at the moment. Right now fucking was the last thing on his mind. Whatever spell she was under, he had to break her out of it before things went out of control. He wouldn't let her suck him in because she wasn't in her right state of mind. If anything happened, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

She felt his panic and she felt his heartbeat increase; she didn't like it. It was as if she was dying inside. If he didn't take her, she would die; this feeling would kill her. She was breathing fast and shallow trying to gain some composure though it was a hard struggle. Everything about him just sent her libido sky rocketing and when that happened she couldn't think properly. Every part of his body was too appealing.

And his lips.

They were pressed against her skin and on her neck. She wanted to feel them, she wanted to taste them. She loosened the hold she had around his neck and Goten took that opportunity to pull away from her slightly. Little did he know that was a mistake. As soon as his lips came in view, she crashed her own against his. The surprise caused his lips to part somewhat and she immediately slid her tongue inside. Then, she pressed her heated body against his, and wrapped her muscular, slender legs around his waist.

As if it wasn't enough, she began grinding her core against his length to try and send him over the edge. If only she could obtain a reaction from him.

Goten's world was becoming fuzzy as he tried to stay in control, but the battle was getting more difficult with every passing instant. His lips were not moving against hers, but he was not pushing her away either. Why couldn't he? Why wasn't he even thinking about it? But, she tasted so  _fucking_ good. The mix of that and her scent and he was dizzy, too dizzy. Suddenly he almost found the situation tempting.

He shouldn't do this.

She nibbled on his bottom lip.

Her scent grew stronger and the first word that came to his mind was  _appealing_. Goten found himself wondering how her skin tasted as well. Or her lips, he could taste them better. If he just gave her what she wanted, he would be able to taste her scent.

He shouldn't be thinking this.

Her kiss became more forceful and she invaded his mouth even more. She desperately needed the contact. Her body was telling her mind it was a necessity. And her mind listened.

His hands moved to her hips with every intention to stop her movements and to finally push her away. Then, as if everything was out to stop  _him_ , the wind blew her hair on his face. Her soft blue locks touched his nose, and he breathed in ever so  _heavily_. He shouldn't have, but then again, he did much worse already.

It was intoxicating; it was a drug.

This whole time, his brain kept track of her scent. At first, he pushed her away, but he was still in control back then. Then, he kept himself between her legs with his face buried against her skin. She was stronger than he thought, but not that strong. He could have easily shoved her away, but he did not. He realized what they were doing was wrong, that this wasn't right. He even admitted to himself that this was not turning him on. And yet he stayed. Now she was kissing him forcefully and he was  _considering_  kissing her back? Did he go insane?

But she smelled so good.

Her scent… was it really that divine this whole time?

It seemed it became better and better with each passing second.

He tried to stop breathing, he really did, but it was so hard. His mind might still be trying to fight it but his body wanted to answer her call. His body wanted to give her what she was so innocently begging for. It was as if her whole body was made to be enticing to him and him only. Maybe if he just kissed her, it would all go away.

No kissing her back would make things worse.

She ran her fingers through his hair and pushed her breasts against his chest. She needed contact and she refused to be denied like this. Her need was so intense that it was bringing tears to her eyes. The more he made her wait, the worse it became. The pain it was bringing her to have such an intense desire was unbearable and her mind told her he was the only one who could take all the pain away.

Why wasn't he?

As her desperation grew, so did her scent. It was made to be more delicious, more inviting. So  _desirable_ , that even buried saiyan instincts found it hard to ignore it. A side of him which was deep within wanted to claim her.

Just a little taste.

And just a tiny bit of his control suddenly slipped.

He allowed himself to taste her sweet lips by returning the kiss. As soon as she felt him kiss her back fireworks were launched inside of her and her body temperature rose again. But he didn't feel it. Instead, the grip on her hips tightened and the fact that she was still grinding against him was forgotten. Instead, he enjoyed the taste of her lips.

Goten began to devour her mouth with experience she did not have, but it didn't matter since she gave herself to him nonetheless. She knew this would help and that this had to be done. His fingers were nearly digging through her shirt and clothes, and it was as if her skin was melting under his touch.

Why were there so many barriers between them?

Goten did not realize but as he inserted his tongue within her moist cavern, his boxers became much tighter. His body was reacting to her call, to her scent, to her actions, but this time, his mind was also joining in. After a few minutes, kissing didn't become nearly enough. Gently, he slid a hand under her shirt and felt her bare skin. He groaned against her lips as he felt the softness of her creamy flesh. A voice in the back of his mind was screaming at him to stop but his hand kept moving up.

Meanwhile, she wasn't conscious that she was holding in a breath as they kept kissing. His fingertips touched her breast and he grabbed it forcefully with his whole hand. Goten lifted his other hand up and before he knew it he was pulling down on her shirt and freeing her two mounds.

The cool air caused her nipples to harden and he pulled away from her lips. When did she grow into such a woman? He never saw her or considered her as such in the past, but there was her body staring back at him. She looked far more developed than most seventeen years old. Though perhaps she was always like this but never did he dared to think of her this way. The idea of  _having_  her was always chased away or never appearing or lingering.

But now, it was hard to do the same.

Her whole body, her  _soul_  was calling out to him and the only thing he wanted to do was respond. Before Goten could stop himself, he grabbed one of her nipples between his teeth and nibbled on it which earned him a moan from the blue haired girl beneath him. She squirmed under his every touch and she demanded more each time. Oh and how he wanted to give.

He cupped her left breast with his hand, while the other snaked its way to her undergarment. He didn't remove her underwear though; he only slid his hand in. It felt  _forbidden_  and it was wrong. He shouldn't be doing this to her. But, when his fingers reached her clit and she buckled under him, he found it harder and harder to think. He ventured further until he touched the wet folds of her core.

She threw her head back and grabbed his hair forcefully at the feeling. At this point, she was beginning to pant and her body was begging to be taken. Why did he insist on teasing her like this? She licked her lips in anticipation while gently grinding her hips. His every touch was sending her into heaven and her body throbbed each time he laid a hand on her.

A smirk appeared on Goten's face as he gently inserted one digit inside her dripping womanhood. Once he felt how tight she was around his  _finger_ , he immediately made the deduction that she was a virgin. To be honest, it came as no surprise. She was still young and her father was insanely protective of her. So was her brother. But shouldn't he be the same way? Shouldn't he be protecting the girl he considered his little sister?

Oh but she was not  _little_ , nor was she his sister.

This was an attractive, appealing, desirable woman who was begging for his touch. How could he not grant her?

As Goten carefully began to fuck her with his finger he felt as if two sides inside of him were battling. One much darker than the other, one who wanted the princess. He wasn't doing anything wrong. She was the one who came to him, the one who begged  _him_. But she didn't seem like her usual self, what if she didn't want it? Bura was a girl who went for what she desired. This was her.

It appeared as if she felt his lack of focus on her, so she began to squirm, as if she was throwing a tamper tantrum.

Deciding to give her the  _attention_  she wanted, he added another finger and he felt her clench around his digits. If she thought that was a little too much, she had something else coming her way.

Goten made the conscious choice to get rid of useless items. That started with her top. Using his free hand, he ripped it away from her body and completely exposed her skin. There was a gentle light coming from the moon that penetrated the room, which caused her skin to almost glow. She looked good enough to  _eat_. She was staring at him with her gentle blue eyes and panting and horny as fuck.

His B-chan.

The one he teased, the one he protected, the one he comforted.

Then shouldn't it be his role to please her as well?

The two sides were battling, but he knew he was losing it. By now, his length was fully erected and his boxers were feeling way too tight. He wanted her. He wanted to fuck her like she begged for. Rapidly, he took his fingers out of her core and he felt her buckle her hips, missing the contact. She wouldn't be empty for too long.

As she lay on her back, he pulled away from her slightly and took off his boxers before tossing them on the ground. Now all that stood between him and her was her white virgin panties. He took hold of them and ripped them away, much like he had done with her top. Her whole beauty was exposed to him and only him. Goten closed his eyes, taking in her scent once more and letting it fill his whole body.

He grabbed her knees with his hands and parted her legs. Bura was no longer looking at him and he could see her gazing at the ceiling. He'd bring her focus back soon enough. Goten positioned himself at her entrance, feeling her wetness drowning his tip. He almost had to stop himself from moaning. All he put in was the tip, not enough to hurt her. Not yet.

For a second, hesitation took hold of his body. His mind was yelling at him, well part of his mind was, while the other insisted he do this. There was nothing wrong with his actions. She was willing and so fucking attractive. Why shouldn't he get a taste of her? Quickly enough, as lust filled him more and more, the uncertainty disappeared.

Goten bent down and wrapped his arms around her body with his hands holding on to her shoulders. This would hurt her terribly, even if she was half saiyan-jin. He felt her bury her face in the crook of his neck and for a second, he thought she was scared. But Goten did not smell fear on her, instead he could sense her excitement. At that exact moment she was inhaling his scent and making sure she'd never forget it.

Once he was sure their bodies were close enough, he penetrated her with his full length in one motion and broke through her barrier. He could feel against his skin her silent scream, but she didn't utter a sound. He stopped for a moment to give her a chance to adjust to his size. Of course not moving was proving to be more difficult than expected.

Her insides were so tight; she was dripping wet and with each passing second his control was slipping away.

When was the last time he had fucked? Months ago.

This was greatly needed and she offered herself to him too willingly. He could not resist but he also wanted this to last. Knowing he could not remain still any longer, he began to move inside of her as slow as he could.

At first, there were still no sounds or reactions from her but after a few seconds, he felt her wrap her legs as tight as she could around his waist. Her back began to arch and she was slowly pulling away from his neck. Goten gazed down to look at her. Her blues orbs were fixed on his face and she began breathing very shallowly. Her usually clear light blue eyes were clouded with desire.

He released her shoulders and instead grabbed on to her hips before laying her on her back and lifting himself up and away from her. Goten held her down with his hands while he increased his pace. He rammed his length inside of her faster and faster and he observed as she went into a world of pleasure. A world only he was able to give her.

She began tossing her head from one side to another like an unbearable feeling was taking hold of her. She bit hard on her bottom lip, so hard that she drew blood. The scent of her blood mixed with her current scent was almost enough to drive Goten wild with need. Without realizing, his grip on her hips became harsher and he knew it would leave a mark.

He began shoving himself deep within her, perhaps too deep. The rougher he was with her the wetter she became and the wilder it drove him. He could see her closing her eyes forcefully and Goten knew too well what was happening. Her climax was drawing near. However, he had a feeling she didn't know how to deal with it. Could this be the first time she would have an orgasm?

Just in case, Goten bent down again and he whispered in her ear. "It's okay, Princess, don't hold it, just relax."

She somewhat nodded before trying to take a grip on his chest to slow down his actions. But he wouldn't let that happen. Instead, he grabbed her ankles and lifted them and rested them on his shoulders. This change of position allowed him to go in deeper and deeper inside of her. His length pulsed within her and he felt her juices drip down.

Louder moans escaped her perfect lips and he knew she was close. He stabbed her core even rougher; he wanted her to reach her climax. And after a few more seconds, she did. Her voice screamed his name loudly and she nearly shook under him before drowning his length in her juices as she orgasm. After wards, her whole body was trembling from the shock but he did not stop what he was doing. Goten had to admit his own limit was drawing near, but he could not end this, not yet, not now. There was another thing he wanted to try.

While she still seemed dazed by her experience, he slowly flipped her around on her stomach, while never pulling himself out of her. She exhaled deeply as she lay on her stomach before feeling his hands on her ass. Goten grabbed it firmly with the urge to slap it erupting within him. His lust too great, he couldn't stop himself, so he resumed his strokes.

She was still sensitive from her recent orgasm and everything felt amplified. The way he slid in and out of her and the feeling of his tip pushing  _too_  far. He could feel her contract around him and he tilted his head back slightly. No one ever felt this good, but it was perhaps due to the fact that he never was able to let himself go before. Bura was no human and he didn't have to be careful. She could handle it all.

He could hear her pant under him and he could feel her fidget under his touch. It was already too much to bear and the more he rammed into her, the harder she clenched around him. He dug his finger in her skin, once again probably marking her porcelain flesh. It didn't matter though; nobody would see it because nobody would have her like this except him. She was his possession, his drug.

A loud moan escaped her pouting lips and he knew it was time.

"Come for me, Princess," he ordered.

And she obeyed. Closing her eyes tightly shut, she threw her head back and screamed his name loudly as she engulfed his throbbing length with her sweet nectar. The scent, the sight, it was all too much for him and before he could stop it he pour himself inside her while groaning deeply.

Quickly both of them collapse; her on top of the bed, and him on top of her. Goten could feel himself still pulsing within her and he smirked. He could have removed himself, but not yet. He wanted to enjoy the feeling a little while longer and she did not seem to mind. He pushed himself up with his arms before staring down at her beautiful back.

Gently, he pushed her aqua hair out of the way and revealed her neck. At the sight, he felt himself swell inside her. It looked so inviting, begging for him. Without thinking, he bent down and lapped at her neck, tasting her. The action sent a shiver of pleasure through his body. Why was this spot so desirable? Why did he badly want to sink his teeth in, break her flesh and taste her blood?

Suddenly, his heart pace increased and all his onyx eyes could focus on was  _that_  spot on her neck. It invaded his mind and called out to him. Without realizing what he was doing, he bent down and pressed his nose against it. This action caused the panting girl under him to react. She tilted her head to the side which gave him better access.

She was too tempting for his sanity.

Although her scent toned down, he was too far in to notice. It was the only thing he could smell.

As she felt his lips so close to her neck, it suddenly became too obvious. Her need grew and expanded. There was something else she desired from him. Yes, she wanted to shed drops of blood for him. She wanted to feel the pain of his teeth sinking in her skin. She couldn't stop herself; she had to moan. She would demand from him that he satisfy that wish.

"Bite," she finally said with her voice barely audible.

At the sound of her voice, his eyes snapped into her direction. Bite? So she wanted this to? Though he hardly thought she would have complained. A smirk appeared on his face as he approached his lips from the exact spot he wanted. Slowly, he opened his mouth and his tongue dared out to taste her skin. She shivered in pleasure under him and he groaned.

Then, Goten took the skin between his teeth, but he did not bite. Instead he nibbled, like he was teasing both of them. But the feeling was more overpowering and intense then he expected. After a few instants of nibbling, he found himself hard and hard within her; it was like he was ready to climax. But he didn't seem to be the only one affected in that way.

Under him, she was buckling her hips and she began moaning. Her body was heated and he knew was she needed. But he wanted to bite her. His mind too confused to decided on one thing, he kept holding on to her flesh, while he began hammering inside her. Their bodies were so close that they were almost forming one. With every stroke she pushed her ass into him and more of his control slipped away.

Just one more time.

He picked up the speed while nearly biting into her skin and he groaned. It was as if he never wanted to stop, never wanted to be outside of her core. But as the temptation grew, it was harder and harder to control his body. When she quickly orgasm, her whole body shaking, it was too difficult, so for a second time, he emptied himself within her.

Somewhat exhausted, he almost put all of his weight on top of her.

It took him a few seconds to be back into reality, and once he was, he became aware that he had not bit her. Wanting to change the situation, he took it upon himself to do it. But, he couldn't. Something deep inside of him was stopping his movement; his jaw was locked. There was nothing more that he wished for than this, yet he was his own barrier.

Her heart was racing inside her chest as if she was on the verge of losing it. He was so close to giving her what she desperately needed yet he wasn't. But her body was tired, she couldn't find it in her to order him to do it. Her eyes were already closed, but she fought the urge to sleep. She wanted to remain awake, she wanted this.

But she wasn't the only one who required sleep. Goten's own rest was interrupted by her appearance and slowly but surely he was feeling a soporific effect. But he refused to give in, not until he could have his prize. Why couldn't he bite her? His frustration reached its peak before he released her skin, clearly annoyed.

He rested his head on her back, his length no longer hard but still within her. Slowly, he pulled himself out, earning a whimper from the exhausted girl beneath him. Goten wrapped his arms around her before falling to his side, cuddling her. Their bodies were tightly pressed together, before he buried his face in the back of her neck, inhaling her scent.

She had to be his.

-M-


	2. Awkward

His whole mind throbbed as he awoke from his slumber. His eyes were still semi-closed, and there was a inexplicable, sour feeling of guilt swirling inside his chest. He felt warmth close to him and without thinking, he buried his face into it before sighing in contentment. He remained this way a little while longer until the scent seemed familiar. It then dawn upon him whom he was holding so tightly in his arms.

Goten's first reaction was to freeze.

Bura.

In one second, all the events that occurred during the previous night came rushing back to him. Panic filled him and all he could do was violently pull away from her which caused him to nearly fall on the ground. Once Goten regained his balance, he got up from the bed and backed away from her with his eyes wide opened. There she was, lying on his bed, completely naked and still asleep. For a second, he thanked the Kami that she was not awake.

How could he face her? How could he look at her?

Although he could recollect the events of the previous night, the reasons behind them were blurry. Why did he give in? He could clearly remember himself  _not_  wanting this, yet there was no way to deny what he did. He had sex with his best friend's seventeen years old sister, whose father happened to be a mass-murderer.

It was the perfect definition of being  _screwed_.

Maybe  _she_  wouldn't kill him, but as soon as someone would find out he was dead. Heck, he wanted to  _kick_  himself in the ass right now. How could he have let this happened? He was _clearly_  the adult here and he should have returned her home no matter how much she pressed the issue. Where did his self-control go? And what was he supposed to say to her once she would wake up?

Should he apologize?

Nervous, he ran his fingers through his thick dark mane of hair while trying to come up with a solution to his dilemma. He still didn't know why Bura came to him like this and it made it so much more difficult to come up with something to say to her. Goten knew the best thing to do was to have a serious talk with her, but,  _damn it_ , this was not a situation he wanted to be in.

He lost complete control and he felt like a failure. Never would he have thought this was possible.

He knew Bura since she was a baby. Being friends with Trunks meant he saw her grow up every day and never did it cross his mind to be involved with her. Not only was she  _too_  young for him but he also never saw her as a woman. Yes, she was beautiful, but that didn't mean he was attracted to her. He could admit to the statement without  _wanting_  her. She was almost like his own little sister.

Unfortunately, he could not go back to that now. How could he look at her, and call her that? The nickname  _B-chan_  that he used for her felt wrong now; it was tainted.

The memory of their intercourse was still very present in his mind and as much as he tried to push it aside, it refused to leave him alone. It was engraved in his brain, and he would never forget it.

He ran his hand over his mouth and dragged it down his chin. He was able to feel a thin layer of sweat building on his skin and his breathing was accelerated. All he could do was shift his weight from one foot to the other as he watched her peacefully sleep. He wanted her to wake up, he needed her to wake up… but if she did… he'd regret it.

Maybe if he left the room? It would let her wake up by herself and process everything that happened.  _Yes_. He would go in the kitchen and make some food. Oh kami he was starving. In all honesty, last night was  _exhausting_  and he knew his stomach would rumble in hunger soon.

It was with quiet footsteps that he exited the bedroom without glancing back. He could  _not_  look at her. He could not even look at himself in the mirror.

He took Trunks' little sister's virginity away. He took Vegeta's daughter's virginity away. He took a seventeen years old girl's virginity away. No – okay thinking was definitely bad.

No more thinking.

Unfortunately for him, the kitchen brought no distraction to his guilty mind. Instead of finding a fridge full of food for him to stuff himself with, he was graced with the sight of an empty refrigerator.  _Right_. He usually went over to his parents' house when he was hungry. His mom was always happy to cook for him.

Damn it.

As he was about to give up his super hearing picked up on sounds coming from his bedroom. He gulped before backing up – almost into a chair – and impatiently waited for her entrance. He knew Bura or at least he thought he knew her until last night, and he expected a lot of yelling. She never cried, she was like Vegeta.

Meanwhile in the room next door, Bura was moving around in the bed. She pressed a hand to her forehead while her eyes flashed open. Before consciousness took hold of her, soreness throbbed between her legs. She dared to glance down only to see blood staining her thighs and the sheet beneath her.

Memories rushed through her confused mind and her lips parted as she turned around to sit on the edge of the bed. She pressed her feet against the floor, the sheet falling off her naked body. Bura held the side of her head with her hand, tangling her hair even more.

She had sex. She had sex with Goten. She lost her virginity to Goten.

There was not a shade of red bright enough to express her embarrassment. Tears stung her eyes but she did not allow them to fall. Emotions were swirling within her and she did not know which reaction to display. She did not even know why she would want to  _cry_.

She always  _liked_  Goten. Heck, how could she not? He was the only man allowed around her and she grew up with him always present in her life. That and the fact that he was the last remaining available Saiyan. How could she fall for anybody else?

Bura also wished he would finally notice her as a woman, something more than Trunks' little sister. Obviously he never did which always was very hurtful to her pride. No  _man_  resisted her. But to Goten, she was invisible. He cared for her like a brother and nothing more. It made her pursue him even more.

But this? She gave up on it, she never thought it would happen. It was unexpected or – a dream. She was not certain. If it were not for the clear evidence, she would wonderif it truly even took place.

But it did.

Now the only blank left was  _how_. She had flashes of what happened between her and Goten but she had no idea how she got to his apartment – or even how they started… doing  _it_. She bent forward before holding her head with both her hands. How could she not remember? She was sober last night and very well awake. How was it possible for her to have no recollection of leaving her bedroom?

It was not until her eyes trailed further down along the floor that she spotted feet. Goten's feet.

Her eyes briefly widened before she put herself together. Slowly, she dared to raise her glance and their eyes met. Obviously, Goten quickly peeked away.

Frankly, he only came because he was worried. It was clear she was awake yet she remained in the bedroom. He feared she was filled with sadness and regrets and since he was to blame, he  _had_  to check up on her. Yes, she seduced him, but – he should have acted like a responsible adult.

However, now that he found himself standing in front of her, he felt foolish and no words came to mind.

Oh – and she was naked. Oh. She was… naked.

Bura herself was not aware of that detail until she felt his eyes linger on her. She rushed to grab the sheet from the ground and wrapped it around her body. If he was staying quiet, it was because he was waiting for her to talk. Unfortunately, she did not have a clue how to begin this conversation.

She was Bura Briefs. She was witty, smart, beautiful and prideful. How could she be so quiet during a moment like this? Should she ask him about it, or act like it was normal and walk away with her head high?

And then, she made her decision. "Where are my clothes?"

Clothes. He was not sure what she wore last night qualified as clothes. Also, to be honest, he remembered taking her clothes off and then discarding them in random locations in the room. Her garments were not his main concerns last night.

Instead of speaking, he walked around until he found them. The most awkward piece to pick up was probably her underwear which were still stained with the scent of her powerful arousal. He quietly handed her clothes to her and with barely a nod, she left in direction of his bathroom with the sheet dragging on the floor while she did her best to keep herself covered.

Nothing. He said nothing to her.

His ki was out of control, he was freaking out and dying in the inside and yet he did not utter a single word. How was one supposed to begin a conversation when he was such a mess.

What do you say?  _I know you're seventeen, and I'm twenty-eight, but it'll be alright._

It would never be  _alright_. How would he ever look at her in the eyes? Or Trunks, Vegeta, and Bulma for that matter? They  _trusted_  him around their daughter and he abused and destroyed that trust. He felt his legs weaken and he had no other choice but to sit on the bed, waiting for her return.

A few minutes passed before Bura emerged from the bathroom. In spite of her attempt to cover herself up, she was pretty much bare. Her small arms were wrapped around her chest as she took her first step into the bedroom.

Goten sighed. "B-ch," Kami, he couldn't use that nickname, "-Bura, we need to talk."

"Talk about what?" she inquired as she tilted her head back a bit.

"About what happened."

She didn't want to because he looked so goddamn unhappy. For whatever reason, he was fine with it last night, but he wasn't anymore. She didn't want him to say the words she knew he wanted to say. She played this scenario in her mind many times in the past when she considered going after him. She  _reached_  her goal – in a way – and she was not about to get rejected. Bura Briefs did not get rejected by anyone.

Also, it did happen, and he could not take it away.

"We had sex Goten, it's no big deal," she lied through her teeth.

"It is a big deal, Bura. You're  _seventeen_."

And there it was: the age issue. As if he would be better off with a human who was going to age while he would look young for a  _long_  time. Before she even thought about dating Goten, she considered humans but they were so weak and fragile. She saw the way her father was careful around her mother. She had the misfortune of walking on them a couple of times. She wanted to be powerful and free. She could only do that with a Saiyan.

Plus, he understood her because they were the same, and she could age by his side  _properly_. In one year, her age would not be a concern, so why should it be now?  _One_  stupid year! Who cared?

"We both know that doesn't matter. We don't age like humans."

"It does matter," he argued. "You're too young. I mean, I'm  _twenty-eight, B!_ "

"I don't care, look it's-" This would be hard to say with a straight face. "It's not like we're dating."

He was already trying to turn her down. She might as well save her pride and do the drastic move first. He was looking at her with shame shining in his eyes and she could see the one chance she ever had with him slip away. Her heart was pounding loudly and she felt it was the only sound filling the silent room.

"I- I know that." Dating. Dating Bura. Such a strange thought never even crossed his mind; she always was  _Trunks' little sister_.

"Then I don't see what the problem is. We had sex, it's over."

She heaved her chest, almost trying to be intimidating. Nobody – maybe except her father – could be as prideful as she was. She could convince herself of anything and she could act strong. Unfortunately, she could not  _chase_  away the feelings this time. They were boiling inside of her and threatening to overflow.

She had this under control. She  _had_  to have this under control.

"I know that B. It's not my point. We did something we shouldn't have."

Kami, would this feeling of guilt go away already? Despite her lack of fighting skills, he always saw her as strong. Now because of what he had done, he saw her as fragile. He did not like that. He liked the strong Bura.

"Goten, it's fine. It just happened, who cares. I'm fine, you're fine. I won't tell anyone." Mostly because really if anyone knew, they'd come and beat the crap out of him and she did not want that.

She turned around and began to walk out of his bedroom since it was the only way to end the conversation. It was not until she was half way through the kitchen that she realized that she was not exactly  _dressed_ , she had no money and probably no vehicle. How in the world did she get here? She pinched her lips out of aggravation and then sighed.

Despite her great  _walk out_ , she had to return to the room. She slowly walked backwards until she reached Goten's bedroom.

"I- have no way of getting home," she said while trying to sound annoyed.

If she was intimidating enough, maybe Goten would not try to have this dreaded discussion with her again.

He blinked. "Just fly back."

"Fly – I flew here?" she asked before realizing what she was saying.

"You- you don't remember?"

Oh crap. She rolled her lips together before offering him a shrug as an answer. "Well it was – I mean I do. I mean I came here, of course I remember."

"Liar."

It was too weird that her first instinct was not to fly off, away from the conversation. She did  _not_  know how she got to his place. Memory blanks, then she comes to his place and then – well they had sex. None of it made sense to Goten.

"Were you drunk last night B?" Maybe – if she got  _really_  drunk… she would forget? "You flew here. You told me yourself."

"I  _know_  I remember. I'm just, I'm still out of it." Drunk. Of course she was not drunk. Though, at least it would have been an explanation for what the hell was going on. Maybe she was sleeping walking now?

"Everything happened consciously and sober alright," she said while glaring in his direction. Why could he not let it go?

While she did her best to slow down her hammering heartbeat, she knew she needed to find a way to salvage what was left of her dignity. Goten was not happy with what happened between them, and he was desperately trying to find a logical explanation behind it.

Because having sex with her was such an impossible and apparently repulsive thought.

"It was a one time thing. You're just lucky and I won't let something like  _this_  happen again."

Goten regretted what occurred between them, and yet her tone made him flinch. Bura never talked to him like that. He heard her snap to other people, but not him. It was not that  _bad_. The whole situation was a mess, but last night was not terrible. Although, he could imagine this was not how she wanted her first time to be.

He swallowed hard before walking in her direction. He expected her to back away, but she remained there. It was with a shaky hand that he reached out for her chin and cupped it. "I'm sorry B."

It took every ounce of self-control she had to keep her game face on. She  _always_  wanted Goten. He was the one thing she desired that she never got. This felt so bittersweet and rage was boiling inside of her. It was like the universe was having fun at her expense.

"Goten, it was just sex. It's no big deal, I told you." She sighed and snatched her head away from his hold. "Do you have a capsule, or something I can borrow to go home? I can't really go like this."

He tried to meet her eyes, but she avoided his gaze. He offered a weak nod before turning around he fumbling through one of his drawers. He pulled out two capsules out of it and handed them to Bura.

"I think one of them is a scooter… which doesn't really help you, but the other one is an emergency wardrobe."

Bura could not help but raise an eyebrow.

"Mm- well, Paris forgot it here."

 _Paris_. She had to either ride a scooter half naked or wear  _Paris_ ' clothes? Oh yes, the universe was clearly playing a big joke on her.

"Thanks."

Paris. Kami, she hated that woman.

Without saying anything else to Goten, she left the room. This time, she could not return. If she had to see the look of guilt in his eyes one more time, she would lose her mind. It was not fair. She was so closed to having what she always wanted, and it was still out of reach.

She only had a taste. One she could not even remember.

He watched her leave without moving a muscle. He should be trying to grab her, trying to keep her here until they resolve the situation, but his guilt was weighing him down. He knew Bura; he could tell she wanted to leave as fast as possible, and he felt he was in no position to make her do something she did not want to do.

He was screwed.

-M-

"I know you're home."

Goten winced as he tried to sink in deeper into his couch. For the past two weeks, he had completely avoided his best friend. Actually, except for going to work, he did not even leave the house. He bought his own food, just so he would not have to go to his parents'. He could not look at anyone, if he did, they would know.

He was hiding his ki, but that could not fool Trunks. They knew each other since way back, and they could always tell where the other was. That was currently not working in his favor.

Goten sighed before getting up from the couch. He could never talk to his best friend again. Trunks was going to kill him.

Slowly, he opened the door. Once it was fully opened, he glanced at the ground. "Hey."

Trunks cocked an eyebrow. "Hey? I've been calling you for like two weeks. What's up with you?"

Without waiting for an invitation, he walked in and headed for the couch. "At first I thought you got back together with Paris, but apparently not."

Every time Paris and Goten got back together, she would take Goten away from his world. She would suffocate him until they broke up again. He thought it might have happened again, even though he did not feel Paris' ki when he flew over Goten's house.

"I was- mm busy."

Trunks took a quick peek around and did not feel to notice what a mess the place was. Goten was never very organized, but it was worse than usual.

"So I see."

He turned around completely to look at his best friend, only to find Goten staring at the wall.

"Are you alright?"

"I just –" I slept with your sister. I feel guilty. I hate myself for it. Yeah, no that was not going to cut it. "Paris. I miss her."

He could not have said a bigger lie. Usually he did miss Paris after one of their break up, but the whole story with Bura preoccupied him so much, he did not have time to miss his ex-girlfriend.

"Man, how many times do I have to tell you. Forget that girl. She's not good for you."

"I know, but we've been together for like, 4 years."

" _On and off_." Which included Paris sleeping with other guys during their breaks.

"Yeah." Unconsciously, Goten raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. He hated the lying, he hated himself. He shared everything with Trunks, even embarrassing moments.

"You know what, get dressed."

"Uh?"

"Get dressed, we're going out. If you're going to be a little bitch about Paris, I'm taking you out to hook up with some new hot chicks."

"Trunks I don't think-"

"I wasn't asking. Get dressed. We both know I could kick your ass."

Usually, Goten would take him up on his challenge, but he had a feeling if he did that right now, he would lose. He sighed heavily before nodding and disappearing into his bedroom. Trunks was not wrong, he did need to clear hi mind. Unfortunately, Trunks was the wrong company.

Maybe the best solution was to go out and stay away from the alcohol. He did not want to risk spilling secrets while he was intoxicated.

-M-

"You're here."

"This  _is_  my house. I do live here you know, Mom."

Bulma blinked. "I know, it's just. It's Saturday night."

"I also happen to own a calendar or two."

"You're never home on a Saturday night."

"Well, I'm home tonight."

What a load of crap. She was home sometimes. Most weekends she did go out with some friends… alright so maybe she liked to not be home. Who could blame her? She loved her dad to death, but he was a little over protective. It was nice to have some freedom.

Bulma pinched her lips together until they popped open. Slowly, she leaned into the doorframe. "Are you alright?"

Something was different about her daughter. She moved differently, she did not act the same… she did not feel like  _Bura_. Unfortunately, she could not tell what was wrong.

"Nothing, I'm –" She could not say school was stressing her out. They both knew she was smart. "Tired."

Bulma arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She was snappier than usual. "Did you fight with your boyfriend?"

At first her eyes widened, but she quickly recovered, and scoffed. "What boyfriend? The one dad would kill if I was allowed to date?"

"I do not think your father's rules are stopping you." Bulma was already seeking the perfect boyfriend when she was much younger than Bura. It would not surprise her if her daughter was doing the same thing.

"Mom, there's nobody alright."

To help her mother understand that the conversation was over, Bura turned her back to her and plopped her earphones in her ears. The worst part was, she did want to talk, but there was nobody she could share with, at least nobody in her life.

Marron would be her go to person. However, despite how close they were, it would not change the fact that Marron would look down upon what occurred. She did know Bura had a crush on Goten, but she thought it died down a long time ago. Plus, she always qualified it as a little girl crush.

Apparently, every little sister has a crush on their old brother's best friend. They just did not get that it was not like that. She did not like him because he was close to her brother. Most of the times, Trunks and her did not even get along. It also had nothing to do with the fact that he was around for most of her life.

Goten was different.

At least, very different from her brother and her father. Her whole life the word Saiyan was associated with pride and strength. Goten was kind, sweet and naïve. He was so different from the world she knew. He was the only person she could be herself around, without any lies. Also, Goten was the one man who was not weaker than her.

He was also most likely the person her Father would disapprove of the most. She would be lying if she said it did not make him a bit more interesting. In every way, she was not supposed to have him, and everyone knew Bura did not back down from a challenge.

She had to admit though, what happened but a damper on her spirits. She was in no way  _conventional_ , but she did have a certain plan for her first time. Or at least, she would have liked to remember it. She did not even know  _how_  it was possible for her to barely remember. Heck, what in the world pushed her to go to Goten's house in the middle of the night?

It would have also been nice if he was not completely  _disgusted_  with what they did.

She never meant to get with Goten this way. Now, he would never even come  _near_  her. She was not even sure if he would even talk to her again.

Bura sighed before falling backwards on her bed.

Time to save her pride, she had to forget about him. It still did not sit well with her. Bura Briefs never gave up.

-M-

Fifty-three.

He had fifty-three shots of alcohol. It was not much considering he was a Saiyan. Although, having all of them in less than an hour was probably not a great idea. It was also a good thing all the drinks were on Trunks' tab. He could not afford all that.

It did numb him. At least, he thought he felt numb. He raised his hand and stared at it for a bit until it doubled. Yeah. Numb.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pushed back. He peeked at his shoulder, and saw a hand.

"Man, what are you still doing at the bar? We're supposed to make you forget about Paris."

Yeah. Paris.

"What color are you in the mood for tonight?" Trunks' blue eyes scanned the horizon, looking for the perfect girl for Goten. "Blonde? Brunette? Red?  _Blue?_ "

Goten's peaceful expression disappeared and he tensed up. "I'll just go dance."

He did not really  _like_  dancing, but he was good at it. After Trunks' little questions, he did not feel like  _picking_ a girl. He moved away which caused Trunks' hand to fall into the emptiness.

Goten's eyes were closed as he moved through the crowd, his mind pulsing. He felt limbs hitting his side, but he did not stop moving until he was in the middle of the club. He began dancing a bit, and it was not too long until he felt someone pressing themselves against his sturdy chest.

He flashed his eyes open. The first thing he saw was blue hair. His heart stopped beating and he held his breath back. He was completely obsessed by the long blue locks cascading down a near bare back. Without thinking, he reached out and caressed her hair. It caused the girl to turn around, and break the trance.

Instead of finding blue eyes, he saw brown orbs.

The girl smiled at him before running her tongue over her bottom lip. She tilted her rear backwards and shoved it into his crotch before she began grinding. Once again, all he saw was _blue_. He wanted to grab her hips and push her away, but he was afraid to make contact with her.

It was all so vivid.

_Her insides were so tight; she was dripping wet and with each passing second his control was slipping away. She began tossing her head from one side to another like an unbearable feeling was taking hold of her. She bit hard on her bottom lip, so hard that she drew blood._

It was wrong. All of it. Despite his guilt, his body remembered how good it felt. For the first time ever, his mind was free. When he was with human girls, he was always keeping his strength in check, but with her… he could unleash himself.

No. Bura, little, young Bura.

He breathed out heavily, and before he knew it, he was pushing the girl away from him.

A drink, that was what he needed. Another drink.

He searched the vicinity until he located drinks. They were not his, but he picked one up anyway. Then another, and another.

Time went by, he was not sure how much, but he was not sure he cared either. His heart was beating fast, his thoughts were fuzzy, but he kept drinking. He did not stop until someone pulled him away from his chair.

Only one person had that kind of strength.

"I told you to hook up with someone, not drown yourself in alcohol. What's wrong with you? Paris never got you so down before."

Goten grabbed his head with his hands and kept staring at the ground. He could not look at Trunks. What was he supposed to say? That none of the girls were attractive, and the only time he was getting hot and bothered was when he thought about having sex with Bura?

It was all so wrong. His parents raised him right, they did not raise him to do this. Bura was a great girl, but she was seventeen. He should not have done that. She was too young for him. He felt his mind being split in two and it was giving him a massive headache. Although his history with Paris was lengthy, it did not mean he did not go around.

He slept with his share of girls. He went around and he never had a problem with it. He never felt guilty.

This was all so wrong.

Trunks kneeled down in front of his friend, concern shining in his eyes. Goten was a carefree nature, and he never let things get to him like that. Whatever this was, it was serious and it had nothing to do with Paris.

It took a few seconds, but Goten finally raised his head. Their eyes met, but it was pure silence.

Trunks sighed and extended his arm to him. "Come on, time to go home."

He helped him up and slowly, they headed outside of the club. Usually, he would not mind the quietness, but right now, it was driving him insane. Goten was  _keeping_  something from him. That never happened in the past and Trunks was not sure how he was dealing with that face.

"We'll go to my place, it's closer."

But Goten did not hear him. If he had, he might have fought harder.

-M-

It seemed it was very possible to forget to breathe.

Bura realized that fact when she forgot to do so while staring at her brother and a drunk Goten.

"He's too drunk to go home, and I don't feel like flying him there," Trunks said dismissively as he dragged his best friend past his sister.

She tried not to stare, but she did anyway. She should keep herself together, but she never expected to see him… she never thought he would come to her house again, at least not for a while…

"Oh," she uttered even though Trunks was far gone.

She waited in the stairs until she heard a door close and then she breathed. Bura raised her head high before turning around and going back up. She did have a reason to go downstairs, but it was long gone. She thought Goten dismissed her, and he was over it.

Something was wrong. Her pride and curiosity were tickled and she had to go see him. Of course, she had to wait for Trunks to go to his own room first. Quietly, she remained at the top of the stairs, and she waited.

Instead of walking toward his bedroom, Trunks headed back for the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"Back out," he said as if it was very obvious. "It's only one in the morning. Not because he can't handle his alcohol that I shouldn't have some fun."

At this point, he wanted some distraction too. Tonight was a weird night all together.

"Since when do you care?"

"I don't," she said while going up the stairs.

She felt Trunks's eye on her, but she ignored it as she went subtlety towards her bedroom. Luckily, Goten was in a bedroom near hers. Once she reached the hall, she came to a halt and waited for Trunks to leave. When she felt his presence outside, she smiled and headed for the guest bedroom where Goten was passed out.

Without making a sound, she opened the door and peeked in. Goten was laying on his back with his head hanging from the side of the bed. Her footsteps were silent while she crept her way inside. Bura stopped once she reached the edge of the bed and she then proceeded to slowly bend down.

Her breath was tickling his skin, slightly disturbing him from his slumber. He blinked rapidly and tried to see through the darkness.

"B?" he asked groggily.

Should she respond? Should she keep quiet? She decided to pinch her lips.

She looked strange, somewhat like a hallucination. How did she come to his house again? "You flew here again."

She raised an eyebrow. What in the world was he- oh – he thought they were at his apartment.

In his confusion he reached out for her cheek and cupped it. She was real. She was here.

"This – it was wrong. We shouldn't do that."

"Goten we're not-" Did he think they were doing something? "We're not doing anything wrong."

She gave herself a push, and hopped on the bed. She nudged her knee between his legs and lowered herself down. "Nothing wrong," she softly whispered.

While she closed some of the space between their bodies, she did not fail to feel the bulge in his pants. Disgusting uh?

Bura would not be in his apartment, she would not be back. Not after what happened. He remembered how pissed off she left. Was he losing his mind, was he going crazy?

Her lips were so close to his, he could already taste them. Cherry, or was it vanilla? No, it was just  _addictive._  Before he knew it, he was capturing her lips with his. He heard her moan in his mouth and lean into the kiss. He was dizzy, so terribly dizzy.

She completely collapsed on top of him so that she could let her hands roam over his chest. Her little step forward made him wrap his arms around her waist, pressing her against him. He remembered. His body remembered.

In a swift motion, he flipped them around and she found herself beneath him. His strong built ready to crush her at any moment, and his muscles bulging as he kept himself up. Unintentionally, she shivered in anticipation.

His mouth quickly found its way to her neck and he began nibbling. Even in the darkness, he could still see the red marks he left previously when he tried to bite in her neck. Hadn't it been weeks already? Oh, it did not matter. She tasted good.

He glided one of his hands over her left breast and squeezed. Soft and perky.  
She  _was_  a woman. He kept going further, finding his way to her ass. Round, and firm. He wanted her. Why did he want her?

Bura was ready to lose herself in the moment when suddenly a ki flashed. Her dad's. Panic took hold of her for a moment; it would not take him too long to realize her ki and Goten's were in the same room.

 _Shit_.

Using her maximum speed, she ran away to her own bedroom causing Goten to fall flat on his chest, even more confused and dazed then before.

She slammed her back against her door and breathed in heavily.

That was a close one, and strangely – exciting.

Apparently, she was not as  _disgusting_  as he claimed. They were about to have some fun.

-M-


	3. Repeat

Goten felt like a truck ran him over when he opened his eyes. His brain was throbbing and there was a constant banging in his head. Unfortunately for him, his suffering was not over since a bright light began to blind him. He shielded his blood shot eyes and managed to make it to his feet. His first destination was the window where he hurried to pull the purple curtains closed. As soon as the room was engulfed in darkness, he sighed of relief.

He ran his fingers through his tangled hair and then, glided his hand down his face.  _Last night_. What in the world happened last night? He remembered drinking – a lot and then… Trunks apparently took him back to C.C.

_Bura._

It flashed back through his mind and his eyes opened wide. Did she – was it real? No. It could not be. He doubted Bura would even talk to him after what happened. It had to be a dream. There were also in his apartment in that illusion.

Yes, a dream.

The only problem with that was… well the fact that he was dreaming about her, dreaming about  _being with_  her. He was not sure what was wrong with him but it had to stop. Even when he was trying to stay away from her, she invaded his mind. That did nothing to ease up his guilt.

At least Trunks did not know about what occurred. At this point, it was the only good side to this whole dilemma.

Now, he had to get out of here without anyone seeing him. If he saw Trunks or Bulma, they would tell him to stay over for breakfast. He could not take the chance to be stuck at the same table as Bura. He was a _terrible_  liar. Especially considering he had a bit of a hangover at the moment. Goten closed his eyes, took a deep breath and scanned the kis in the house.

Once everyone was located, he quietly proceeded to exit the room. He kept walking instead of speeding through; they might notice is presence if there was a burst of ki. Silently, he made his way to the end of the stairs. Thinking he was out of trouble, he took wider footsteps.

"What are  _you_  doing here?"

Goten winced. Defeated, he spun around. "I- m – I"

"Vegeta, who are you – oh Goten!" Bulma appeared in the room, a smile on her face. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"Actually," he began before scratching the back of his head, "I slept over."

"Oh, well, why don't you stay for breakfast? Trunks and Bura was already eating in the kitchen."

He needed an excuse, any excuse. His heart began to beat faster and his mind was a complete blank.

"S-sure. Thank you."  _Damn it._

It was under Vegeta's watchful eye that he headed towards the kitchen. Goten gulped when the siblings came in view and he did his best not to glance in Bura's direction. She would not talk to him, so if he pretended she was not there… it might make it easier. Oh, whom was he fooling? He was screwed.

"Hey, look who's up!" Trunks teased.

"Last night was a rough night," Goten replied as he sat down beside his friend. At least Bura was sitting across from Trunks.

"That's one word for it. I've never seen you like this. I don't know what Paris did to you this time, but she really messed you up."

Bura did her best to ignore their whole conversation and blend into the background but at the mention of Paris, her head snapped up. Paris? What did she have to do with this? Her action broke the stillness and for the first time Goten peeked at her.

He was in trouble. Bura knew it had nothing to do with Paris.

"Paris? I thought she dumped you months ago?  _Again_." She promised herself she would not talk, that she would let the conversation happen and watch Goten squirm but it was too irresistible. And really, she needed to get back to him for hurting her pride.

Ugh. "It's complicated." He did not even need to look at her to know that she was smirking. Of course,  _she_  would corner him.

"It always is with her," Trunks added with a shrug. "I don't know why you go back to her every time. Either break it off for good or be miserable with her forever but  _do_  something."

Bura felt her jaw clench. What in the world was Trunks trying to pull off? Goten was stupid enough to always take back Paris and considering how he was feeling right now… she did not need him to be tempted. Last night proved he did not think she was disgusting but he was fighting her. He still thought it was wrong for them to  _mingle_.

Her bottom lip quivered and she was at loss for words. Whatever she said, she would sound too interested or worse; jealous. She raised her head up a bit and her eyes met Goten's. She wondered if he remembered last night, if he remembered their little heated moment.

"Well, you guys have fun with your petty problems. I have more important things to do," she said while getting up.

She took a last bite out of her muffin and slowly began to walk away. As she was leaving, she made sure to sway her hips to give Goten a little show. She saw his reaction earlier and even if his mind was fighting him she had a feeling his  _body_  would enjoy it.

Goten forced his eyes down on his food, ignoring Bura. This was bad.

-M-

His phone was tight in his grip while he kept staring at it. He should not do this. It would be the worst mistake of his life. However, the current situation was not giving him many other options. Getting drunk did not work and random girls were definitively a bad idea. Also, going to Capsule Corp….. another  _bad idea_.

This would fix it, at least for now.

He had no explanation why he dreamed about her or why he had  _sex_  with her. Being around Bura was dangerous. His mind was not reacting to her but it seemed his body was. The more distance he could put between himself and her for the time being, the better. Clearly, he was sexually frustrated or something. It would pass.

This was what he was supposed to do. Once he had himself convinced, he pressed the dialed button. It rang twice before someone picked up.

"Paris? It's Goten."

-M-

The living room was filled with the audio of an action movie Bura had popped in earlier. However, she was not watching it. Instead, she was staring into the emptiness. She had a hand clamped on her neck and was scratching it from time to time. She did not know why but that spot bothered her. It was probably because Goten's marks had not faded yet. How hard did he try to bite her that they were still there?

The first part of her plan worked. She confirmed that she did not disgust Goten and that she clearly had an effect on him. She also teased him and drove him a bit wild. The next question was, where to go from there? Clearly, he was stubborn and would keep on avoiding her and she had to change that.

Usually, she planned ahead and executed her plan but not this time. Strangely, she just wanted to hunt Goten like a prey and catch him as fast as possible. She needed to put a halt to her hormones and think clearly. They were clouding her mind, affecting her actions.

She was not only a Briefs, but she was also her father's daughter. If someone could get Goten, it was her.

For now, the best plan was to tease him and drive him crazy like she did when he slept over. Of course, finding such perfect situations was going to be difficult. Goten would be on his guard and might avoid C.C even more than before. Maybe she needed to find a way to  _force_  him to come.

She had the perfect idea.

-M-

"This is your fault."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Mom stopped organizing these stupid get together a long time ago."

Bura rolled her eyes. "I don't even know why you're complaining. You'll spend your time sparring. Such hard work."

"You don't get it." It was one thing to fight with Goten when they were alone, it was another when his father was around. Trunks was not even allowed  _one_  mistake.

Tough luck, she thought.  _This_  was how she was bringing Goten to C.C. She did not think he would sleep over like he did last time but she might be able to mess with his mind nonetheless. Who knew he might get drunk again and then he would be all hers to play with.

The conniving gene was passed down to her from her father but – this… even thi was  _intense_  for her. And yet, she barely cared.

"Aren't you going over to Goten? You should go and invite him and the Sons."

"I don't have time to go. I gotta get to work."

"Goten's  _your_  friend."

"And you agreed to help mom. I don't have time to waste."

"You can  _fly._ It's faster."

He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. "You can borrow one of mom's contraption and you'll be just as fast.  _Enjoy_."

She let out a sigh as her brother exited the house. The moment the door closed behind him a smirk appeared on her face. Nobody would be able to say she  _wanted_  to go to Goten's apartment. Apparently, it was just meant to be.

Bura glanced down at her outfit and she decided she could not possibly show up at his place dressed like this. She rushed upstairs, excitement filling her. She  _loved_  the thrill of the chase.

Almost a whole hour went by before Bura settled on a look. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she wore a tight black dress, her shoulders covered with a white jacket. She did not want to look desperate; she needed something classy that would still make him drool.

Satisfied, she headed out and grabbed one of the cars. She could fly one of the machines in the garage but she was terrible at landing and usually ended up messing up her hair. She worked too hard to ruin it all.

Thirty minutes passed before she reached his house. She parked a little far, hoping to go undetected a little longer. Pleasure overtook her mind, her body remembering his touch. She did not know why she was so addicted to him or why she could barely recall their first night together. It did not matter; she wanted him and she would have him.

Once she reached his front door, she shivered in anticipation. She licked her lips and raised her hand to knock on the door.

Then she waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But he never opened the door. At first, it crossed her mind that he might be avoiding her but then she decided to check for his ki. She closed her eyes and focused. Her smile dropped and she groaned; he was not home. When was he  _not_  home? Frustration raged inside of her and she twisted her mouth out of aggravation.

Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind and she smirked.

She could always wait for him  _inside_.

She gave the handle a good yank, breaking it.  _Oops_. Oh well, it was not like she could not afford to have it repaired. Once she was inside, she headed straight for his bedroom. As she got in, she realized something; her scent was still all over his room. She took a step forward and inhaled his blankets.

He- he did not wash anything. He had to be feeling the same intriguing sensation as she was. This had to be addictive for him as well.

Bura dropped on his bed and laid down. This was the perfect spot to wait for him; at least he would be surprised.

Unfortunately for her, it took a full hour before he came home. By that time, she was ready to fall asleep because of how bored she was. When she heard his voice she jolted and tried to lay sensually again. She adjusted her breasts in her bra, making them pop even more.

The sound of his voice made her groin tingle.

The sound of the voice she heard after however had the complete opposite effect.

"Goten, why is your door broken?"

 _Paris_. He was with fucking Paris? He brought her into his apartment? What was he going to do next,  _fuck_  her in this bed? What a load of crap! He could not keep it in his pants for more than a month?

Her rage flared up and by the time it happened, it was too late to stop her little slip up. If he did not know she was there before, she made presence well known.

"Shit," she mumbled.

"Just –hm, wait here for a minute," she heard him scramble to say, clearly nervous.

Then in a flash, he was in his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. "Bura, what are you doing here?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

This was not how she planned for this little visit to go but it did not mean it was all ruined. She threw her legs over the edge, sitting up.

"I came to invite you."

"I-invite me where?"

"My mom's having a little get together," she replied innocently.

Seeing her was making his heart pump fast – too fast. He swallowed hard while his eyes traveled from her legs to her eyes. There she was; in his bed again. He remembered too well what happened in there and he did not need flashbacks.

"So, Paris?" she said when he remained silent.

"We – we got back together."

There were no words to express how much she hated her brother at this moment. He was the reason why Goten went back to that bitch. She knew Paris would get tired of Goten again – very soon – but Bura refused to share him. She did not want him to be with another woman when he was supposed to be hers.

Filled with fake confidence, she rose to her feet. There was only one way to get him and it was to trap him. If she let him flee…

Slowly, she slipped off her jacket, revealing that her dress was strapless, and let it drop on his bed. She marched in his direction and only stopped a few inches from his face. She pressed her palms against his chest and smiled.

"Imagine if she came in here and found us."

He raised his hand and grabbed her left wrist to stop her actions. "She knows you're just Trunks' little sister."

A normal person would never think anything could be going on between him and Bura – because a normal person would not have sex with her. He was a terrible, human being. She might be pursuing him right now but it all began because he took advantage of her.

She leaned her hips forward, pressing herself in his crotch. She began rubbing herself against his chest, her hands sliding down to the edge of his jeans. "Am I?"

Almost instantaneously, his length filled with blood and a bulge formed in his pants. Satisfied, she pressed her chest against his. "I'm not sure she's gonna believe that."

He glared.

"Maybe I should call her in here. You know, just to see her reaction."

He never saw her with such fire in her eyes before. She was a woman on a mission and it was terrifying how determined she was.

He yanked on her wrist, which somewhat backfired since it slammed her breasts against him. "I'm not playing this stupid game, B. It was a mistake."

Why did he keep referring to it as a mistake? He enjoyed it! "Maybe I wanna play a  _stupid_  game. Maybe I'll call Paris in here and let her judge how much of a mistake it was. You think you can stop me? Whatever you're gonna try, it's just going to attract her attention."

 _Fuck_. She was right – but he could not let her bring Paris in here. He just got back together with her and he did not need things to end so brusquely. Right now, she was not a Briefs, right now she was acting like Vegeta's daughter.

"What do you want?" he finally asked.

What did she want?  _Him_. Though she doubted he would willingly offer himself up. "Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night what?"

"I'm coming over tomorrow night. You can't leave or I will tell her. Trust me, she  _will_  believe me."

Blackmail was beneath her. She did not like it. She could get what she wanted without resorting to dirty tricks. However, in this case it seemed to be the only way to even get him to talk to her. She was not even sure her end goal was to sleep with him; she just  _needed, craved_  his presence.

Did he truly want to get back with Paris that badly? No. He only called her up because he could not get Bura out of his head. Apparently his plan backfired. Still, he was in no mood to deal with Paris' jealous reaction if she found him and Bura in a compromising situation.

Plus, whatever Bura would try tonight, he could stop. Granted he did not last time but this mistake would not be repeated.

"Fine."

She smiled, her chest swelling with pride. She always went for what she wanted but she was certain she never pursued anything as much as she was pursuing him. If she did not have him, she was sure she would die. It hurt to think about him belonging to someone else.

Bura pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Then, in a flash, she was gone.

Goten was left alone in his room, his erection painfully throbbing.

 _Fuck_.

-M-

8:30.

What did night mean anyway?

He tried to call her but she never picked up. He could not call Trunks or her house because really, how would he explain he was looking for Bura? No matter what lie he came up with, it would appear suspicious. No, all he could do was sit on his couch and wait.

She was doing this on purpose. She was trying to torture him and goddamn it, her plan was working.

He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the sweat that coated his scalp. Once again, his eyes traveled to his watch and he sighed. 8:31. Why did he even agree to this? It was not like he got to spend a good day with Paris. He was so on edge that he spent the entire time trying  _not_  to snap.

Bura never used to make him angry. She made him laugh. Now, all his emotions geared towards her were heightened. Part of him wanted to smash her into the wall until she came to her senses and the other part wanted to smash her into the wall and fuck her senseless. Both options were very wrong. Oh god. How could he even still think about having sex with her? She was  _young_ , so young.

Goten was so deep into his thoughts, he barely heard the knock on the door. For a moment, he thought he made it up but then, he felt her ki. She was here,  _finally_.

He sped towards the door and flung it open. On the other side, he found Bura.

Her attire was different from earlier and he was  _grateful_. Instead of the tempting black dress, she was in a pair of skinny jeans and a stomach baring top. Alright, maybe there was a  _little_  too much skin but he could deal with this.

"Can I come in?" she finally asked almost rudely when he did not move out of the way.

He nodded before letting her come inside.

Bura took a deep breath; this had to go differently than this morning. The more distance she put between them, the clearer she thought. Pushing Goten was not the way to go. That's how she got her way with her family, with other boys but not with  _him_. The panic in his eyes let her know that she messed up.

However, it was not too late to salvage this. There was one easy way to get to him; guilt. His presence was the only thing that soothed the aching feeling inside her very soul and she was willing to try any and every trick to get him.

 _Cue the acting_.

She turned around but never glanced at him. Instead, her eyes constantly remained on the ground. "I- I wanted to apologize."

Goten felt like someone slapped him in the face.  _Bura Briefs was apologizing… to him?_

"I – I was so confused and I just- I didn't know how to react and I didn't want to make a big deal out of it because you were freaking out – and then, I lashed out." She slowly raised her head and looked at him, her blue eyes shining with tears. "I'm sorry, alright?"

He saw her cry when she was a little girl but that was it. There was she vulnerable in front of him for the second time.

She took a step forward and mentally smiled when he did not back away. "I didn't know how to react. I couldn't talk about it with anyone. And it- it was my first time, and I-"

Bura leaned forward and snuggled against his chest, sniffling.

At first he froze, the proximity unexpected but as he heard her cry, he wrapped his arms around her. This was all his fault.

"B-chan, you ain't got nothing to be sorry about."

 _At least he used her nickname again_.

"It's my fault, I should have stopped it."

He could not explain his sudden desire for her. He always saw her as  _Bura_. Then suddenly, all he could dream about, all he could think about was her. He barely even pushed her away that first night. Even now, holding her in his arms made his skin heat up.

Goten kept himself in check as he tightened their embrace. He hated the fact that he was the reason behind her tears. He always looked after her, protected her…and now he hurt her. He felt lower than low.

"Listen, B…"

She raised her head and stared right into his eyes. Playing the victim card was not her favorite play but it was the only one working at the moment. At least he was holding her, caressing her. Though that only increased her desire.

Bura always liked Goten but she always managed to control herself. What was it about him recently that made her lose all logic and common sense?

She reached out for his hand and intertwined their fingers.

Goten felt sparks traveled through his body and he held back a growl in his chest. He knew just how powerful she was and yet, there in his arms, in his hold, she felt fragile. Fragile enough for  _him_.

"I don't know how it got so messy, but we'll fix it."

He had known her his entire life. She would always be in his life and he would always care for her. They could not take back what happened so the only option they had was to move on from it. He was not sure how to proceed with that but they would figure it out. He could fight through those feelings then they could get things back to normal…or as normal as possible at least.

 _This was not going exactly as she had planned_. He was not supposed to lead her down the friendship path. He was supposed to console her and  _touch_  her. The feeling of his finger was barely enough to keep her in check. His whole presence was intoxicating.

The moonlight was shining through the window much like it did the last time.

But they ignored it; they were oblivious to it.

"It's gonna be okay."

She finally released his hand and put her palms against his chest. A heat enveloped her body and she could easily tell her presence affected him. His skin was burning through his chest and she could feel it beneath her fingertips.

A puddle of warmth formed in her lower region as she remembered his touch, remembered the way he felt pressed against her. He was so willing that night in her house…  _Granted he thought it was a dream but… but he didn't fight it_. If only he stopped fighting her now.

One look in his eyes and she would crave him again. His presence was intoxicating; her need for him was overwhelming. She was not even sure how she was keeping up this charade. Did he not feel the desire that pulsed through her? Did he not feel the beads of sweat dripping down her neck?

Goten did his best to avoid her glance. The way she looked at him – it tugged at his heart. She kept opening herself up to him, showing him this vulnerable side. It was as thought he could take her, and have her and… and she'd let him do as he pleased. He almost shivered at the thought.

As if he could forget the recent memories they made together.

He was not raised like this, he was not supposed to  _want_  this. It went against his every belief, against who he was at the core. Why could he not stop feeling  _the_  heat, the connection every time she was around? One day she was like his little sister and the next he was taking her virginity.

How did it happen?

His own mind was fuzzy on the details. And if he was being perfectly honest, he noticed she seemed as confused as he was.

"B, what happened to us?"

She tilted her head to the side, her blue waves cascading down her shoulder. "W-what do you mean?"

"We were like family. How come we- you know."

He would take all the blame, he did not care. He was the adult, he was the responsible one. However, that did not change the fact that she  _hit_  on him. She never did that before. She never showed any interest in him. All of it… it was out of the blue.

 _Because I always loved you_. But she could not reply that. She could not let him know what kind of hold he had on her. Though, that did not explain why she showed up in his room half naked. She never acted on it. It felt so natural that night, it felt like she would die if she did not have him.

No, she did not know why.

She did not know how.

Why did he want to focus on the details? Why could he not let himself  _feel_  instead? He was a Son. They did not  _think_ , they were not brains. They went with their hearts. Why was she the one shushing her head and listening to her heart? It should be the opposite.

"I don't know," she finally answered. At least it was the truth.

Her bottom lip was trembling and he could not tell if it was out of fear or because of the tears threatening to fall. He wanted to hug her but at the same time he knew he had to keep a distance between them. He was going to get burnt again if he was not careful.

She could  _feel_  him pull away and it ignited a rage inside of her. Why did he turn down her every trick, her every attempts? He  _wanted_  her. Why fight it?

Nobody turned down Bura Briefs.

She leaped forward, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her face in his neck. She could faintly remember her father once telling her it was something saiyans did to show affection. Though, she did not know why she craved to have that sort of contact with Goten. She continued to press her nose to his skin, enjoying the softness and the warmth.

 _He was really trying_. His hands were on her shoulders and he had every intention of pushing her away except…except his hands were following his commands. Instead, he found himself squeezing, his fingertips digging into her smooth flesh. He could already feel all of his blood rushing downwards. This was  _very, very bad_.

"B," he almost pleaded.

His body was not going to listen to him was it? She  _had_  to pull away.

She heard the desperation in his voice but she could not move, she could not remove herself from him. It was frustrating how much she needed him. Thoughts were clashing in her head and she was convinced she was losing her mind. This time, real tears were burning her eyes. She wanted Goten, she did, it was all her. Or was it? Her body ached when she was far from him.

She never loved before. Was that what love was meant to feel like?

She did not know.

The only thing she was certain of was that she would not let him drag her away.

"I won't leave."

She was Vegeta's daughter, she was proud; she did not beg, she ordered.

And he seemed to listen because he stayed close to her.

He could not do this again, it would take his sanity away. He would never be able to face anybody. He would not be able to look at himself in the mirror.  _Push her away_ , he kept repeating to himself but it did not happen. His blood was boiling with need, all of his instincts were screaming at him, ordering him to take her like he did  _oh so long ago_.

She was willing.  _Again_.

Suddenly, his eyes opened wide when he felt her press her lips to his flesh. Jolts of pleasure traveled through him and he whimpered. Both because he needed her to stop and because he needed her to continue.

"B."

"If you don't touch me, I'm gonna die," she said, breathing against his skin.

It hurt to have him so far. It hurt to miss his touch.

He heard the plea, the desperation in her voice and he understood. His body ached for her even though it made no sense. The more she demanded, the more it hurt to not give in. His arms were shaking as he allowed his hands to trail down her arms. His mind was fighting him at every step. At this point he was not sure which  _path_  would hurt him more.

She trembled beneath his touch. He left a trail of fire everywhere he laid his fingers.

He was almost there; all she had to do was  _push_  him.

She raised her head and gently began nibbling at his ear. She darted her tongue out and ran it across his earlobe. She felt the growl deep in his chest and she smirked.  _Almost_. She did say she always got what she wanted.

As an uncontrollable desire surged within him, Goten forced himself to take a step back. He  _sensed_  her ki flare and knew she was quite displeased with his action.

"B, you have to go."

If she left it would be fine. If she left, they would not make another mistake.

"We can't do this again."

Her eyes narrowed and for a moment she was the spitting image of her father. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Then, she used her strength to push him against the nearest wall. She did not do all of this only to have him slip through her fingers. She convinced him once and she would convince him again.  _He_  was what she needed; her whole body was telling her so.

"B," he warned.

His instincts, his mind, everything was on edge. Now was not a good time for her to provoke him.

Except it was exactly what she wanted, so she pushed him again. And again.

Finally, he grabbed both of her wrists and reversed their positions so that she was the one with her back pressed to the wall. It slammed so hard, she almost winced. He pinned her arms above her head and glanced down at her, his breathing heavy. Her lips were pouting, offering themselves to him. He remembered their taste, he remembered how addictive they were.

Adrenaline was traveling through his body, his mind was clouded.

For the second time, he let his control slip, he let his lips brush up against hers. It was meant to be only for a moment.

 _But it was too much and he was doomed all over again_.

-M-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't really have an excuse to explain the long wait. I am sorry though. But, inspiration struck me tonight and I went with it. So... at least... hey a chapter? (I'm really sorry... sometimes the muse just won't cooperate). 
> 
> Also, I know they might seem confusing or even OOC right now but ... a lot of things are affecting them. Soon, they'll be back to their proper selves.


	4. Bite

_Touching her was the only way he could fulfill the hole deep within his heart._   _He tried to ignore every touch, every caress, but he was hopeless. He needed her more with every breath, with every instant. He could relate to how she felt; he too might die if he could not have her. He could not explain it. Kissing her killed his mind but it helped his body survived. It was wrong and yet, it was more important than the air he needed to breathe. She was everything, she was all of it._

_He tried to keep his hands off of her but his body never listened. Instead, he felt every curve, he touched every imperfection, every curve._

_He wanted all of her. Forever._

His eyelids were heavy, difficult to open. His body ached and it was glued to the bed while a haze of fogginess filled his head . His nose however was wide awake. The scent of cooper filled his nostrils, forcing him to inhale deeply and it was so intense he could almost taste it.  _Blood_. That realization forced his eyes open and a sense of panic twisted his guts. He almost expected to find himself on a battle scene and he was ready to take a defensive stance. Instead, he was laying in his bed, far from any danger. However, it did not take him too long to find the source of the blood; it was coming from Bura.

She laid beside him, completely asleep, unaware of the sheer panic that raced through his body. She was bare, the sheet barely covering her indecency, a hint of her breasts showing at the top. The wound was on her neck, right above her collarbone, staring back at him, judging him for his actions. The blood had dried which let him know she most likely did not even realize she had such a wound or she would have wiped it off long ago. Then again,  _he_  did not remember most of it and he imagined it was the same thing for her. He was not sure if that was good or bad.

As Goten pinched his lips, he saw that the reason  _why_  he could taste her blood was because it was upon his lips. In a hurry, he tried to brush it off but it was dry and almost impossible to get rid of - the taste flooded his mouth. He let his arms dropped to his side as guilt swirled up inside of him. He did it again. He swore he would not do it again, he swore he would not fall that low again. It tore him up inside; he was disgusting. How could he let himself fall prey to … to what exactly? What made him so unable to control himself around her? Her presence was enough to intoxicate him and make him forget how to behave.

Although there was one strange element that stood out to him; his mind was clear. Every time he was near her he felt a surge of desire, his judgement was clouded. Not this time. She was naked in front of him and all he wanted to do was look away, he did not feel the usual sexual desire he experienced in her presence. It had to be a good thing right? It had to presage a good sign for them. Now what was he supposed to do? Part of him wanted to wake her because  _well god forbid_ someone found them like this… but…. But once she woke up they would have to deal with all this all over again. Talking did not work. Avoiding each other did not work and…  _Oh kami_. Paris. They were not fully back together but… yeah…this counted as cheating. They were not even full back together and he already cheated on her.

Bad move.

Cheating. Sleeping with his best friend's teenage sister.

Oh yeah, he was going to hell. There was probably a seat reserved for him.

A shuffling coming from the sheets pulled him from his thoughts. He raised his glance and looked at Bura who was slowly awakening.

She tightened the sheet around her chest as she sat up beside him. She avoided eye contact as she stared right at the wall.

All her focus was on keeping a straight face. At the moment there was no rage, no desire, no wounded pride. Instead, she felt uncomfortable. She wanted to be anywhere but beside him. She had to pinch her lips simply to prevent them from wobbling. She could feel his eyes on her and she just wanted him to look  _somewhere else_  - anywhere else. She could not even manage to summon her snappy attitude. There was nothing. She was stuck in his bed with no escape and he was staring at her as though she was a wounded puppy and he had to take care of her; it was sickening.

Goten was the one to break the silence. "Hey."

Awkward.

That was what the feeling was; awkwardness.

How could they go from becoming one to feeling like strangers?

She always loved him did she not? Then why did this feel bizarre?

"Hey."

He remembered her begging but he remembered giving in. Last time he felt like a trapped animal who gave into a sin. This time, he could not deny that he was just as much of a willing participant. He even enjoyed it. There was nothing to say to fix this mess. There were no word to express just how sorry he was. Last time, he tried to be the mature adult who got stuck into a situation he did not want. That scenario was long gone and he did not have any words - any lies he could tell himself to make this all better.

"So, hm." How was he supposed to begin this conversation? He did not know last time and he did not know this time either.

"I'll get my clothes," she answered for him as she rose to her feet with the sheet tightly wrapped around her body. He watched her go without saying a word as she disappeared into the living room.  _Right._ They did not even make it to the bedroom before the clothes began flying off. His need for her was like a drug. At least it used to be. Now, he felt cleanse. He wanted to ask her how she felt, how she was doing but he could not form the words. Her reaction was also different from the last time, no snappy comeback, no anger - just hurt.

What if he talked to her, felt her, and it all began again?

Deep inside, his instincts were screaming at him to protect her like he always had. She had always been a little sister to him and now she was hurting… because of him. He could not fix the problem, he could not make it better. He was completely useless. He could not be the one to hurt her and her protector as well. Although, he lost the right to protect her the first time he touched her. He never meant to be the cause of her sadness, he never wanted to be the one who made her shed tears.  _He was supposed to protect her from those kind of jersk not be one of them_. When did he go so wrong?

Meanwhile, Bura could feel her heart speed up as she tried to gather her clothes. She did not even remember where all of them where. Again, the night felt like a blur to her. Though, this time she had clothes to return home - oh and a car. However, explaining all of this was starting to become difficult. She was not one to sleep anywhere but at home. Why would she? Good thing her parents did not ask a lot of questions. Mostly because of her mom could not tell she was not home and her dad… well he obviously knew but he did not ask. He was protective of her but… he was not invasive.

Plus, it was probably because he never thought in a million years that she would sleep with  _Goten_. Her brother often did not come home. He probably thought she was being a  _teenager_. Her dad had been on Earth for a long time now but it was not as though he actually socialized enough with people to keep up to date with all the customs. It was her only saving grace at the moment. At least nobody was in danger of getting their head ripped off. They needed some  _positive_  throughout all this mess they kept getting themselves into. Why was it so hard to stay away, to not touch each other?

She eventually found her clothes and quickly slipped them on. The right thing to do would be to go back in the bedroom and talk with Goten, but she could not muster the courage to do that. The first time she was able to play it off but unfortunately for her, she could not find that courage again. She could not put up a facade. When they connected, she felt whole. She loved him before any of this happened and now, that feeling was pulsing through her, racing through her veins like it was a necessity. It was one thing to get her heart broken once but she could not possibly go through it again.

If her dignity was the only thing she could keep so be it.

She was unable to face him and would not make a fool out of herself.

They did not know why this was happening but something was wrong. He took her, he touched her but the next morning she always felt his guilt. He was dying inside at the moment and… it killed her. Yes, she loved him, yes she was prideful and she wanted his love back in return. However, if the cost was this, then she did not want his love. The best thing to do was to walk away. Goten would never dare to bring up the subject, Eventually… eventually things would go back to the way they were. At least… nobody would notice a difference.  _They_  would not be the same but they would play the part.

Bura dared to glance at the bedroom one more time before quickly making her escape.

He never even had a chance to stop her.

-M-

Two whole weeks. That was how long she went without seeing him or talking to him. Unlike the last time they slept together, she was fine. There was not an intense desire to see him, she was not craving his touch and her ego was not even bruised. Though that might be because he did not reject her this time. No this time was entirely different... and she was glad. She walked away with her dignity just as she wanted. It was better to run away than to have him step all over her heart again. Yes she always had a crush on him... how could she not? But... but they would not work. So he took her virginity. It did not have to mean anything special.

Maybe she could even forget the whole thing now that it was no longer occupying her mind and obsessing her. Though for that to happen she would need for the damn mark on her neck to disappear. It was healing... though it was starting to look more like a scar instead of fading away. How could her skin mark so easily? It made no sense. She was saiyan, she should have healed in no time. Perhaps it was fate's way of torturing her and reminding her of the mistake she did. She was doing her best to cover it but she would not be able to hide it forever: there was only so much make up and high collars could do.

Bura leaned towards her mirror, her hands resting on the sink. Boy was she glad she had a personal bathroom. She did not need anyone to see what she looked like in the morning. She appeared to be exhausted, as though she spent every night awake, partying. She kept sleeping but it failed to make a difference and the dark circles beneath her eyes refused to fade away. Another thing that plagued her no matter what. Putting on a facade day was not helping. It was not as if she could share what happened with anyone. It was not as though she was close enough to someone to do so.

There was her brother but they did not have that kind of conversations together AND he would kill Goten - and kill was putting it lightly. They would be finding pieces of his body for _days_. Her parents were out of the questions, well her mom would probably asks a lot of embarrassing questions but her dad would definitively react like her brother - even worst. She did not really have any close friends... and she would never tell Pan or Marron. There were too many risks and Pan would probably end up spilling the beans or getting angry. No, she could not tell a soul her little secret.

Goten.

She used to be able to talk to him. Back when he thought of her as his own little sister. No matter how much they ignored what happened they could never go back to that. She spent many years wishing he would see her as something else than Trunks' little sister and now all she wanted was to go back to that. How ironic.

"Bura, honey?"

Her mother knocking on her door startled her more than it should have. She rushed to the door and cracked it open. "Morning."

"Mor-" Bulma frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah mm I just... I got this idea and spent all night working on it."

Bulma did not like it when she did that but then again she spent her own time doing the same thing ever since she was a teenager. "Did you hear your brother come home then?"

"No."

"He usually comes home, especially when there's a big meeting in the morning."

Boy was she glad her own nightly escapades went unnoticed. So much for saying her parents did not notice that kind of things. Then again, being the head of the company did come with some consequences. "Well maybe he was busy being a man whore."

"Bura..." Bulma said as she glared. "He's not picking up his phone...Maybe he stayed over at Goten's." She sighed. "I don't have time to make such a detour. I need to get ready. Do you think you could go check for me?"

"You want me to go to Goten's house?" She barely managed to hide the surprise in her voice. Yes, it was official; Dende  _hated_  her.

Bulma frowned. "Bura, I really need your brother to be there. And Kami knows your father won't go to Goten's house."

Bura pinched her lips: no valid reason not to go. Damn it. Wasn't she supposed to be some kind of genius? How could she  _not_  get herself out of this one? "Okay." She would know if her brother was there he moment she would arrive. If he was not she would leave without going in and if he was... a quick two minutes inside and she would be gone - and Goten would not even dare to talk to her in front of her brother. She sighed; sometimes she hated her brother.

"Thank you honey. I'll make it up to you." Which basically meant Bura would be getting a new shiny toy.

Bura hurried to close the door and pressed her back against it. Why could she never stay away from him? Part of her wanted to get all dressed up while the other half knew that simple was he way to go. She hurried up and put her hair in a ponytail before grabbing a simple shirt and a pair of jeans. She was Bura Briefs; if someone knew how to pull of a good poker face it was her. She repeated that in her head a couple of times, until it was believable, before heading outside. She got into the first hover car she found and buckled her seatbelt with a shaky hand. Last time they saw each other, she ran away. This was not a good way to see each other again.

_Please Dende, let Trunks be somewhere else._

The journey there appeared to take an eternity. Unfortunately for Bura as soon as she landed near Goten's apartment she  _sensed_  her brother. Of fucking course; she could not catch a break. Obviously she was not as conflicted towards Goten as she used to be but - it did not mean she wanted to see him. Things were good and she did not need for unwanted feelings to resurface. Worse; what if something happened while her brother was present? She gathered herself and headed toward the door. She managed a weak knock on the door and then waited. And waited. And waited.

_Okay, she could tell they were in there! Were they ignoring her on purpose?_

She knocked again but this time harder.

She obtained no response but the force of her knock allowed her to notice that the door was  _unlocked_  as it shook beneath her strength. She slowly turned the handle and peeked inside. What she saw was far from a pleasing sight. She found her brother  _asleep_  half on the couch, half on the ground like a drunken idiot. Saiyans had a pretty high tolerance when it came to alcohol. That meant her brother had to drink a lot to get in such a stage and that was something he rarely did. Fo a moment, worried pinged through her. She moved toward the couch and  _gently_  kicked her brother in the shin.  _He did not react_. Of course.

Bura sighed heavily; he truly intended on making her spend a much time as possible in her.

" _Trunks_ ," she hissed as she kicked harder.

It seemed to work. Trunks jolted up and immediately took an offensive stance while his ki flared up. It took him a few seconds to realize that his attacker was his little sister. He frowned. "Bura?"

She rolled her eyes "Mom's waiting for you," she began as she pulled away. "You know…Big important meeting."

"Ah, shit," he said before running his hand down his face. "I forgot."

"That's what happens when you get smash."

"It wasn't the plan," he said with a glare.

He did not know  _what_  got into Goten lately but he was not the same. He constantly looked tired and he had that  _look_  in his eyes. As soon as they got to the bar he began drinking as though he had no limit and was invincible. Clearly, he was trying to drown some kind of pain and he thought alcohol was the way to do it. He did not even try to pick up girls. He avoided them and ignored them when they came to talk to him. Trunks kept thinking it was because of Paris but now he was starting to wonder if there was something else to it. What would his best friend keep from him?

"What happened?"

Goten dragged himself out of his bedroom, his eyes semi-closed. He was woken up when Trunks' ki flared up.

"It's just my sister," Trunks answered as he picked up his jacket from the ground, his head spinning.  _Man_ , when did he ever feel this fucked up before?

Goten appeared startled and stopped in his tracks. The feeling of hungover that previously took hold of his body had now completely vanished. His eyes involuntarily met Bura's and he felt the familiar shame and guilt swirl up inside of him. He could not even act normal, he could not even pretend. Trunks was here, he needed to put on a facade but - but nothing came to him.

"Hey."

It was a good thing she could.

He let his eyes linger on her a moment longer before putting on the best smile he could. "Hey."

"Well, I gotta go. Stupid meeting. See ya later."

Before Goten or Bura could react, Trunks was already flying out of the place.  _God damn it_. He was supposed to ride back with her… or at least wait for her to leave. He was not supposed to leave her alone with Goten _again_.Why did she predict that she would get royally fucked up over this? Her stomach twisted in knots as she took a step back.  _At least there was no danger of her jumping him_. The thick silence was suffocating and she knew she had to break it. She probably could not get away with running away  _twice_. He would catch her eventually.

"I'm gonna leave too. I was just - my mom asked me to find him." Nervous? Seriously? Bura Briefs was  _never_  nervous. She was losing her touch.

"Uh, it's fine." It's fine? That was the best he could say? He did not have a chance to stop her last time, he let her walk away from him. Some days, he thought it was best. What would he say anyway? Nothing would make it better. It was one of the reason he had been drinking a little too much lately. The memories would not leave him alone - they plagued him. That feeling of loneliness was not making it easy on him either.

She forced a smile, spinning on her heels and ready to walk out. She did not expect him to let her go but she was relieved he was.

And he really was going to - that was until he saw the mark on her neck.  _She still had it_? Unconsciously, he took a step forward which startled her. All of her movements stopped and she watched his eyes while he gazed at her.

"You - you still have it."

Bura rapidly clamped a hand over her neck. "Yeah, it's hm, taking a while to heal." The proof of what they had done was with her every day, all the time.

 _Fuck_. Talking about that - it was bringing the subject back up. He could not let her go, he could not let this go. He brought his hand to his neck, rubbing it as awkwardness filled him. How was he supposed to say it? "Listen, B."

"Goten we don't have to talk about it."  _Please, do not talk about it_. Could he not hear the desperation in her voice? How many times was he going to throw back in her face that he was not interested. She got it the first time. Whatever kept him going for her, whatever made him want her as much as she wanted him - it was not real. It was the reality she forced herself to accept. At first, anger clouded her judgement but now she could see clearly. If he did  _truly_  want her, he would not be so ashamed the next morning. Something was happening.

Although, none of that made her want to talk about it.

"B…" he pleaded.

This conversation was as awkward for him as it was for her but she was here and…how could they keep on ignoring it? He spent so much time avoiding her brother and now he was getting drunk beyond belief. Someone would notice and he was afraid that he would eventually crack under the pressure and reveal the awful truth. If he did that, he was a dead man. The best way to avoid this horrendous scenario was to deal with the proper at hand now before it ate away at him and consumed him. He would have to convince her that it was the best plan of actions for the both of them.

"It's not going away."

"I'm fine."

 _She was not._  He remembered her voice when she begged, when she told him she would die if he did not touch her. He never heard such desperation coming from her. He took a step forward, the distance between them slowly closing in. He wanted to grab her shoulders, plead with her but he knew that the least physical contact they had, the better.

"You're not fine, I'm not fine."

"We - we weren't herself."

"I thought it was just sex."

Her speech during their first  _mistake_  irritated him slightly and he was perhaps unconsciously trying to get back at her a little.

Her eyes narrowed. "What else did you want me to say Goten?" She did not want to be painfully honest but he left her no choice. "I woke up naked in your bed - and I wasn't - " She was not a virgin anymore, but those words were left unsaid.

"So - so you don't know how we ended up that way either."

Defeated, she shook her head. "I just - I have some memories of what happened and the next morning. Not how I got there."

His shoulders slumped, his eyes dull, as he realized a lot of their misunderstanding could have been solved way earlier. If neither of them could remember it was probably because something affected them. Although, they were saiyans, it should take a lot to make them act against their nature, against their own desires. Though, he would be a liar if he said he did not want her as much as she wanted him. Last time, it had not felt like he was acting against his desires, it had felt like he was finally acting up upon them. But, that could also be a side effect to whatever was happening to them.

"Something is happening to us, B. We can fix it."

Fix it. She could tell by his words that all of this was a mess he did not want. She did not want to be in situation either but - but her infatuation with him did not begin that night. It lurked inside of her for a long time now. Now, she was forced to admit that he would never feel the same way she did. Even after everything that happened between them, all he was trying to do was undo what took place. It was a loss cause and she was Bura Briefs - not some lost puppy that ran after someone who did not want her. Her infatuation with him had to end  _now_.

"Can't fix us."

They could fix the mess but not their relationship that was forever changed.

He wanted to comfort her, tell her she was wrong but he could not bring himself to lie. How could he possibly see her the same now that he laid with her, touch her, had her? She would never be his little B-chan again, the little girl that was like a sister to him. That image was shattered forever. However, it did not mean that they could not be friends. They could still enjoy each other's company, spend time together, laugh - it would simply required some time.

"We'll get there again."

Bura could tell what he was trying to do but it would not work. They would fix whatever was going on and then, be almost strangers that had to attend a lot of family events together. She offered him a small, fake smile, knowing there was no point in discussing it or even arguing about it.

Goten felt a ping of sadness travel through him, hitching his breath and his heart painfully pressing in his chest. A wetness formed in his eyes and he clenched his hands by his side. He could not explain why but he had the urge to wrap his arms around Bura. She did not express any sign of sadness and yet -  _he felt it through his heart, through his very soul._  It was almost strong enough to make him actually make contact with her but he refrained himself.

Giving into all of those urges were bad. They learned it the hard way.

"Listen, I should go."

"B- we haven't - we don't even know what's wrong."

"I don't think we're gonna figure it out now." She sighed. "Plus, I mean, if this isn't only happening to us - If it's a saiyan thing… do you wanna go talk to my dad about it?"

His face paled and he immediately shook his head. No, he could not see that conversation ending well. "Yeah, probably not the best idea."

She forced a smile. "That's what I thought."

Bura swallowed hard before finally finding the courage to move her feet. This time, he made no attempt to stop her and he let her grab the handle, open the door and walk out.

Still, as he washed her disappear, he could not feel the crushing feeling in his chest. The sadness was twirling inside of him, twisting his guts. The loneliness, the crippling guilt that had settle inside of him in the past weeks had lifted while he talked to her - he had not thought about it that much. However, now that she had left the vicinity and he found himself all alone again, it crept up on him again. It was heavy, burning his heart, blurring his mind. Would he truly obtain no freedom from this? Was he doom to feel this way until the end? He had not even touched her this time…

Meanwhile, Bura was gripping the wheel of her car, drawing out each breathe she took as though it was the last. That desperate feeling had nestled back into her heart.

It was hopeless.

-M-

Night had fallen upon the sky, the clouds drowning in the sky while dark blues and purples mixed together. The moon was nearly hidden, its light barely able to light the night and the stress. A hint of white upon the clouds was the only testament to its presence. All over Japan, people were sleeping, some were working while others - they were stuck into another sleepless night, their eyes begging for rest while their minds refused to listen.

Bura sighed in aggravation while she tossed in her bed yet again. Her body slipped against the silky pink sheets but no matter what she did, she could not fall asleep. Most nights, she struggled but tonight was worst than most. It did not help that the  _mark -_ that had still not faded - was itching like crazy, forcing her to constantly smack a hand over it. She was able to scratch until she bled. She tilted her head back, her blue locks spilling over her white pillow. Could she not catch a break? Every day, it was something new. No matter what, her life always turned in a spiral of hell.

Her body was coated in a layer of sweat but she was cold. She wrapped herself in her blanket as tightly as possible, but it did not chase away the shivers. She licked her dry lips, feeling herself getting on the brink of insanity. How could it be so hard? Why did her life take such a turn? She did not need this. On some days, she no longer recognized herself. She was missing her usual drive, her attitude, her genius. Everything was difficult to accomplish. Most days, she only tied up her long locks into a ponytail, not even taking the time to apply makeup. It was a good thing she did all her work from her home.

She inhaled deeply, hoping it might clear her mind but it did not work.

She decided she was feeling constraint from everything that surrounded her; perhaps a bit of fresh air was what she needed. She gave up and tossed her orange blanket off of her body, nearly throwing in on the floor. She put on her pink slippers and headed outside. Unfortunately for her, she barely had time to open her door that she was met with an obstacle - her father. Her blue eyes widened and she took a step back, her cheeks flushing as though she had been caught doing something she should not.

Vegeta was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a frown on his feature.

She was never nervous around her dad. If there was one person who had him wrapped around her little finger, it was her. Yet, this time, it was like he could see right through her soul and she was not sure it was a good thing.

 _And then she remembered_. Her mark was not hidden.

Was that the reason why he was staring at her like that?

No, he could not possibly know what it meant.

And yet, he took a step forward.

She froze, not moving, while he approached her. He grabbed her chin with his fingers and tilted her head to the left.  _Oh yes_ , it was definitively the mark that caught his interest. She held her breath while she saw his expression shift, many emotions passing through his dark charcoal eyes. He had to know there was only one person who could have given it to her and yet… he had not gone on a killing spree yet.

His eyes lifted to meet hers. "Where did you get this?"

Lie. Lie. It was the only thing her brain was screaming at her but she was not sure he was going to believe her. "I- it was an accident."

Rage flashed through his eyes. "Kakarot's brat?"

No. No. She was not going to get him killed. Although, she had to admit she was intrigued as to why he knew so much about this. She wanted answers but she wanted to avoid a bloodshed. "Dad -"

"Is it from him?" he asked, this time his tone letting her know he was not messing around.

"Yes."

 _And now he could not even kill the fucking idiot_  - at least now without it coming with a great cost. "Follow me."

She blinked once and then twice. "W-what?" From all the reactions she expected her father to have, this was not one of them. Her body remained frozen in place as she tried to process what was happening. She knew her father had calmed down over the years but his  _distaste_  for the Sons had not really gone away. Although everyone was pretty sure that it was just for show now.

"Come or I will re-consider killing him."

 _He did not have to tell her twice_.

She broke the daze and ran to catch up to her dad. She began walking beside in him, the both of them completely silent. She did not know why but she had a bad feeling about this. Her dad was never this mysterious and quiet with her - or this cold. She could see the pained expression in his eyes and it worried her.

Still, things could not be any worst than they already were.

What else could happen?

-M-


	5. Fate

Silence filled the empty vicinity while Bura sat on the ground, her arms wrapped around her legs. Her father had dragged her  _far_  from the house and it almost felt like he wanted to be out of hearing range. Once they found themselves surrounded by quietness and  _trees_ , she thought he would begin speaking - or worst, he would go insanely mad. So far, he had done neither of those things. Bura knew better than to push her luck, especially in such a situation. Instead, she chose a route she rarely chose; patience. It was not a trait she possessed but tonight, she did. So, she sat on the ground and waited while her father stared at the sky. Sometimes, his aura would flare but he never flinched.

She stared at the grass, while concern settled in. Her father  _knew_  what happened between Goten and her - and she was not talking about the sex. He  _knew_  what forced a man, who did not love her at all, to lay with her. Part of her did not want to know the answer. After all, things seemed to have gone back to normal. Why did they need to find out what caused it in the first place? All it would do was stir back bad memories she was desperately trying to forget. She wanted to get up and leave but her body remained glued to the floor. Her father would never let her walk away. It had been a while since she had seen him so serious.

"How long?"

She blinked, the sound of his voice pulling her back into reality. Did he truly speak or did the silence slowly drive her mad and she was imagining it?

"How long?" he repeated.

"How long what?" she said while she let go of her legs and stretched them out in front of her.

"How long have you been involved with Kakarot's brat?"

"I'm not." She was not involved with them. They simply happened to have sex in two different occasions while having absolutely  _no_  relationship between them.

"When did he bite you?"

She clamped a hand on the bite mark; why did he keep referring to that? Why was it so important? "A few weeks ago."

"What night?"

" _I don't remember!"_  It was not as though she marked her calendar with a little heart. It was not a happy moment.

"Was it the first time?"

" _No_." She did not want to admit to any of those things but she could not lie to her father; he would know and it would not get her anywhere. It was too late to turn back, to late to refuse to listen. If she was here, having this horrifying conversation…she might as well obtain some answers out of it. Perhaps it could prevent further incident.

"When was the first time?"

"Almost two months ago."

And then, he fell silent again. Except, this time, he did not keep his back turn to her. He turned around and looked right into her eyes. She felt her blood chill and slowly, she rose to her feet. He closed the distance between them and gently grabbed her chin. She let him, even though she stiffened under his hold. She knew her father would not hurt her but he had a look in his eyes she had never seen before. It was not rage, it was not disappointment…what was it? He tilted her head, revealing her mark in a better light. His eyes danced upon it, inspecting every inch of it as though he was attempting to find a flaw.

"Was it a full moon?"

"Full moon?" She could not remember much about the second time…and the first time was just as fuzzy but…she flew, she flew into the night and…yes. The sky was brightly illuminated by the big, white, round moon. "Yes," she whispered.

And then his eyes shut. He released her and he let his arm drop to his side. This was something he never expected, something that barely ever crossed his mind. It should not have happened; the human blood should…it should have diluted the effects. And she was barely of age. She was one of the last female saiyan. It had been so long that he barely thought about it. He should have warned her, he should have done something about it before it was too late and now he could not take it back.

"Daddy? What's going on?"

He worried her and she did not like to see that look of concern on her father's face. He did not worry, he always had a plan, he was always confident. If he felt this way, it could not mean anything good.

"Where is that clown?"

She blinked. "Goten?"

He nodded.

"Home?"

Those were the last words she had a chance to say before her father flew into the sky at rapid speed. Bura cringe; this was not good. At first she thought he was going to kill Goten but then he seemed so calm that she thought both of them would make it out alright; she was no longer so sure of that. What was she supposed to do? She could not go after him…at least not fast enough. Why was it that she only managed to fly that  _one_  time? Maybe it was time she tried some training. This was pathetic. All she could do was stay behind while her father was out there doing dende knew what to Goten.

Bura watched the sky, the white light left behind by her father slowly fading away. She pinched her lips tightly, turning them white, before tearing her eyes away from the starless sky. She stared at the ground, a heavy knotting feeling twisting her guts. She felt  _sick_  - she wanted to throw up. This whole thing was a mess. She was strong like her father, independent like both her parents and she had her mother's temper. However, at that precise moment, she did not feel like she was any of those things. She felt alone, weak and completely lost. She could never forget this and moving past it - well…Goten would always be around.

She should have gone back inside but instead she stayed outside. The house was full of memories and her mother might be there and what if she was awake and looking for her father? How exactly would she explain where he went? She already did not want to have this conversation with her father and she wanted to have it with her mother even less. Yes, her mother was a bit more understanding then her father but this situation was all sort of different messes and… what if  _Trunks_  found out? She had her disagreements with her brother but she did not want to ruin the friendship between Trunks and Goten.

This  _had_  to be a thing of the past. She could never mention it, she could never talk about it again. She was Bura Briefs and she was stronger than this. Come on, she internally cheered herself.

Although, there might be the problem of explaining why her dad beat the shit out of Goten. Then again, she was not entirely convinced that Goten would tell the truth about that. He wanted people to know even less than she did.

Her many silent questions were answered when suddenly a  _cannonball_  was thrown beside her, creating a crater into the ground. The force of the blast sent her flying on her back, her head hitting the ground first. Her blue locks tangled as she managed to raise her head. She looked in front of her, smoke coming out of the hole. Before she could even blink, her father appeared, lowering himself unto the ground. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at the hole he had created.

If her father was back and there was a crater in the ground…it could only mean that the person deep inside that hole was…Goten.

She winced as she watched a hand emerged and then another. Finally, Goten's head appeared and he pulled himself out of there, stains of dirt covering his whole face. To say he was not happy was not the best way to describe his current state of mind. His usual goofy smile was nowhere to be found and his dark charcoal eyes were narrowed, demanding an explanation. Which he quickly found when he found himself staring at Bura. When Vegeta had appeared out of nowhere, grabbing him and tossing him into the sky, normal reasoning did not have time to take place. But now he knew. And oh boy was he going to die.

"Vegeta," he began as he stepped out of the hole.

"Shut up."

And he did.

"He knew," Bura said as she made sure to look away from Goten. She did not want him to think she ratted him out to her dad simply because he said he did not want her. She was not that petty. He might think that since he did not know the first thing about her; he was not interested in that.

"You touched my daughter."

Goten closed his eyes, dying to cover his eyes, shielding his face from Vegeta. Shame followed him around everywhere he went since the moment he laid his hand on her. Perhaps he did deserve to have Vegeta beat the crap out of him. What he did was lower than low and he did not deserve forgiveness. He did not know how he would forgive himself, especially since he did it  _twice_ , and if he did not find a way to move on from this, he would never be able to be around her again. Although, he seriously doubted Vegeta would ever allow him anywhere near his daughter again - that was if he let him live.

"It was a mistake."

And then came the first punch. Vegeta barely flinched, only letting his fist make contact with Goten's fast. The power behind it was enough to send him flying into a nearby tree. His head made contact first, rumbling the tree like an earthquake and the green leaves falling out of the branches due to the impact. Goten's body slipped down to the ground and he made no real effort to get back up. Of course he wanted to fight; every single muscle in his body was twitching, begging him to fight, to land a punch but he did not. He deserved this and frankly, it would be a fight he had no chance of winning.

He would take the beating he deserved.

Vegeta clenched his fingers, ready to land another hit. He did want to  _kill_  the boy, but he promised he would not do that since… he could  _not_. He even convinced himself he would not hit him. However, the word mistake sent him in a flying rage. He did not care that the boy was not familiar with saiyan's traditions. He refused to let him call this a mistake. He was insulting his daughter and he was insulting him at the same time. It was unacceptable. He should be a man and he should own up to what he did. Instead, he was like his father; running away from his responsibilities and not taking any of the blame.

"Get up, boy."

As soon as Goten heard Vegeta's order he obeyed. Unfortunately for him, he was never given the chance to fully make it to his feet on his own. Vegeta grabbed the hem of his blue t-shirt and lifted him from the ground, his feet hanging into the emptiness. "Do you know what you did?" he inquired with narrowing eyes.

"I-"

"You have no idea.  _It is not a mistake_."

Goten was not about to argue with Vegeta on that point. He nearly winced at his own stupidity; he probably had not picked the right words to express himself.

"You will not be like your father."

Goten arched an eyebrow, confusion forming on his face. His bottom lip twitched and he resisted the urge to yell insults at Vegeta's face. It was true that Goten spent a good part of his life without ever knowing his father. However, there was nothing wrong with being like his dad. It was better than being Vegeta. The  _prince_ 's past was not exactly covered in peace and goodness. He was a monster, one that was nearly destroyed. It did not matter how hard Vegeta tried to beat his father; it was a feat he would never be able to accomplish. He rather be like this father than Vegeta.

It was obvious Goten did not understand but he would soon enough. They all worshiped Kakarot. He was strong, stronger than Vegeta would like him to be but that did not mean a thing. He did plenty of mistakes and the clown always found a way to run away from everything. Goten marked his daughter and even if it was not on purpose he would own up to it. He would not let him embarrass his entire family. He should already consider himself lucky enough that he was allowed to lay his hands on her and  _claim_  her when she was clearly better than him. He was beneath her.

"You will honor what you did."

Goten's confusion reached a whole new level. He might have had sex with Bura but it had nothing to do with his honor. It was not like he could give her back her virginity. If he could he would! Honor… _wait_. His eyes bulged and then he turned his head and glanced at Bura. Except, he was not looking at her face, now, his eyes focused on her stomach and suddenly he felt his whole world crashing down upon him. The muscles of his face quivering while a feeling of emptiness filled his stomach. He ran his tongue over his dry lips, the inside of his mouth feeling like cotton; he was not even sure he could speak the words.

"A- you - are you pregnant?"

An incredulous stare formed in her blue eyes while she jerked her head back. P-pregnant? That was - well. Shit. They never used anything when they… _did it_. It could be that she - no, no of course she was not. It was not the right time and plus if she was pregnant she would be able to tell. She might not be as strong as the others but she could sense ki. She sensed pregnant women all the time. She was not pregnant. Her gaze shift up and she saw the panic in his eyes was not dying down. She rapidly shook her head, stretching her hands in front of her and waving his crazy statement off.

"I'm not."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he moved his grab on him until his fingers wrapped around his neck. "If you impregnated my daughter, you would be buried in the ground." Of course, with the situation they found themselves in, it would eventually happened. Although it sent shivers of horror down his spine, he chased the thoughts away from his mind. He would deal with one horror at a time. If he let more than one pile up, he would lost his calm.

"You made her yours."

Which he should be considering as worst but - well, it did prevent him from killing him which was the only reason why he was not squeezing his throat until his air pipes crushed under his fingers.

"I - what?"

"You  _made_  her yours."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" It was clear neither her or Goten were understanding him. It was not the time to be cryptic.

" _That mark on your neck._ " At his words, she slapped a hand on her neck. "He made you his. It's bond and it cannot be broken."

" _What_?" Goten forgot about the fact that he could barely breathe. He forgot what Vegeta could kill him in a moment. Instead, all he thought about was the fact that his heart was about to stop beating. He did what? What? What? When did he do that?

"It's just a mark, it'll go away," Bura said, never removing her hand. If she hid it, it would make it go away would it not? She knew her words meant nothing, that the answer would be negative but she wanted to say them out loud as though it would break the invisible curse that took hold of her life recently.

She was smart, smarter than Goten - heck, smarter than most. She did not need her father to explain further for her to start connecting the dots. It clearly was related to saiyans because only her father knew about it. Also, their behaviour, the full moon he mentioned earlier; it was all connected. Something affected them and exerted a change, a force upon their feelings and actions which forced them to sleep together. Not only that but it clearly made Goten bite her, which left her with a mark. One that apparently could never be taking away, one that linked her to Goten forever.

Bura won.

Yes, Bura won the prize she wanted except this felt like the worst loss of her life. This was not winning, this was forcing him by her side. Her father clearly intended on making sure Goten held up his end of the responsibilities but…this was not something she wanted. She spent many years in love with Goten and this would be how she won him. If he ever ended up with her it would be because he wanted her. Not because he had to be with her.  _Forced_  to be with her. And he made it clear plenty of time that he did not care about her that way, she was a sister. Also, her father now confirmed that he had no control over his actions. He truly never wanted her.

"Let him go, dad."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow but he did not bulge. "This is none of your concern."

"It has everything to do with me," she said while stomping her foot. "It is my concern and it is my life." Her rage was spinning out of control, forcing her to exhale loudly, her chest heaving with each breath she took. "We made a mistake. The both of us. We weren't in our right minds. He doesn't want this anymore than I do and he shouldn't be stuck with me —" She quickly realized her mistake and swallowed hard. "And I certainly shouldn't be stuck with  _him_." He was never allowed to know how much she felt for him. Hopefully, once all was explained to him, he would think that everything she did and felt was never of her own doing. It was best that way.

Vegeta glanced at his daughter and then back at Goten. He wished he could let him go and allow him to leave his life as he pleased but it was not as simple as his daughter made it sound. She could not simply walk away from him. There would never be a way out, there would never be distance great enough to keep them apart from each other. They would need each other's presences constantly and it was a need they would never be to satisfy. They created one of the most powerful bonds between them without even knowing what they were doing.  _Idiots_.

"You cannot."

"Yes I can."

This time, some of his rage spilled while he turned his head to look at his daughter. "You  _cannot_  take this back. You will be his forever. He will be yours. You'll need each other."

"Dad, let him go."

Information was jumbling in her head, the ponding headache only increasing. She could not do this, not with her father present. She would probably need more informations but he chose to bring Goten into it before he explained everything to her. She would speak to him later and receive the full explanation then. For now, she needed to talk to Goten about what she already knew. This was awkward enough as it was.

"You do not understand. He marked you, you'll have to be with each other."

"And we'll figure it out together - without you."

She saw the rage shining into his eyes and she knew her father never enjoyed backing away from a fight. He was a winner and not a loser. And yet, slowly he let his grip on Goten's throat loosen until he fell upon the ground with a  _thump_. He stared at him, giving him one of his most vicious glare before re-focusing his attention on his daughter. He used his eyes to let her know how displeased with the whole situation. "I will speak to him one day."

"I know," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder, trying to re-assure him.

She waited where she stood until her father was back into the house. Obviously, he would always be listening but at least he still could not see them and that was better. She approached Goten, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Once she reached his side, she kneeled down beside him while he ran his fingers through his hair, the stress pulsing through his body. She made sure not to touch him and to keep a certain distance between them. Considering what happened in the past and what her father said, it was the best thing to do. Plus, he would not even want her touch.

"Look, let's just forget what my dad said. We're not full saiyans and it probably doesn't mean anything. You don't want anything to do with me, and I don't want anything to do with you." The words broke her heart but it was the only way to make it out of this mess. And it should not be too difficult. If she had not come seeking her brother, they would not have seen each other. He did not want to see her.

He did not reply and part of her expected it. She let her head hung low and she sighed before getting back up. She took one last glance in his direction before turning around, ready to leave. However, he surprised her. Before she was able to leave, she felt him wrap his fingers around her wrist, holding her back. He did not put a lot of strength into it; if she wanted to, she could tug herself free and she was certain he would not try to follow her. And yet, instead of doing what she should do, she did what she wanted to do. She stayed. Though, she did not let him see her face; she would not give him that much power.

"I'm sorry."

He was the one who  _bite_  her, he was the one who took her. He took all the wrong steps and he never did the right thing. If he could have had a little bit more self control, none of this would be happening.

"We couldn't stop it. We weren't in control."

"Your father said it was permanent."

He did not care what her father thought about him or his own dad. However, he did care about doing the right thing. Yes, he could be somewhat of a player sometimes and he did enjoy playing a few dirty tricks. Still, he was honest and he always, always honoured his duties. He did this. The way Vegeta made it sound; it was worst than a wedding. This was permanent regardless of their feelings. That left him at a loss concerning what he should be doing. It was not like she was pregnant or in need. She had more money than he would ever have and she was a very independent woman who did not need anyone's help in her life. How was he supposed to honor her and what he did to her?

"So? We're different. We don't want this and we don't… we just won't. It won't happen again."

He used a bit of strength to pull her down and he watched her fall down to her knees. Goten stared straight into her eyes, trying to search for an answer but he did not find any. There was no anger shining in her eyes or no sadness stirring away. She was being honest. She truly did not care that this happened, she did not mind that they were bonded to each other forever since she was going to simply ignore that fact. He loosened his grip but still held her, just in case she would leave. Each time they talked, it ended when she walked away from him. He refused to let her do that again. They would get to the bottom of this.

"We can't ignore this."

"Yes we can."

"Your father wouldn't be this pissed off if it didn't mean anything."

She rolled her eyes. "My dad is always pissed off."

He  _almost_  chuckled - but the situation was too serious. "Bura, this is serious."

"And what do you want to do about this?"

"I- I don't know!"

"Goten, how do you feel about me?"

"I-"

"Do you have feelings for me?"

"No."

The answer came out so quickly that it hurt. He knew this quickly that he felt nothing for her. Even if he felt  _nothing_ , he still could not - they shared something. That had to leave a memory or something. Was he so heartless? The Goten she knew was kind, gentle and he loved life and he was always smiling. This was not the goofy boy she fell in love with - this was the heartless man who broke her heart. And he would keep on doing it.

"Then why should we do anything about it?" she asked, trying to keep her composure. She would not give it away. She would appear as cold as he was.

"I - because it's the right thing to do."

"I don't want to be with someone who's with me because it's the right thing to do." She inhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring. "And I don't want to be with you."

He nodded. He knew that. He always knew that. She was always a little sister to him and that was never going to change. Yes, he saw her naked, yes he tasted her body and those memories would never leave his mind. He would carry that along with him forever and he would never be able to forget any of it. And that was okay because it was his burden to carry. This mark was something else entirely. It was a responsibility. It was like he was the idiot who got married while completely drunk. Being half-saiyan always came with a lot of bullshit and a lot of perks. This was part of the bullshit.

"Clearly, it's gonna be different," she confirmed as she finally freed herself from his hold. "I mean my dad never told us about it. So he probably thought it wouldn't work on us. Let's just go our separate ways."

"Bura, I can't -"

"Yes you can!" she snapped. Why could he not let it go? Why did he have to make a big deal out of this? He did not even care when they slept together but the moment he slapped a mark on her, all the sudden it matter? It did not work that way! "We had sex, you didn't care." She scoffed. "I mean, you went back to Paris, so clearly it didn't matter." She knew her rage was showing but at this point she hardly cared. He could not be fake with her, she deserved more than that.

"It was-"

"No, you moved on. Well move on from this. This mark means just as little as the sex. I don't care, I don't want you. You're beneath me."

She shut her eyes before spinning around and walking fast to her house. This entire time she was praying that he would follow her. If he did, she would break down and he could not see her cry. He lost that right a long time ago. When she was young, he would hold her in his arms and soothe the tears away. He only did that because he felt a family love towards her. He also lost that right. She did not want to see his face again. She rather he spat in her face and never looked at her again then do this. He was pitying her. He made sure she felt lower than low by making her out to be an obligation.

She was not a goddamn burden, she was a prize to be won. And he could not compete in this anymore.

She was done.

Bura finally reached the door and slid it open. She slipped inside and closed it behind her before leaning against it. Her hair was a mess, her skin was coated in a sweat and she could feel the tears pooling in her eyes.  _He did not follow her_. Then again why did she ever expect him to do that? Her entire body began to shake and she could barely hold herself up and yet she managed. What she did not expect what the shadow lurking in the corner of the room. It was not until he took a step forward that she heard him. Her head snapped up and suddenly she hurried to chase away the tears.

"You don't want to be with him?"

She shook her head. "I hate him."

That was not a lie. Every move he made ever since they slept together was to hurt her. Every single word that came out of his mouth was like poison. She wanted him out of her life, she wanted his presence to be nothing more than ghost, an old memory that never snuck back on her. She wanted to forget he ever touched her body, she wanted to forget the feel of his hands lingering upon her flesh. She did not want to know what his lips tasted like and she did not want to remember what it was like to be stretched by him, moaning for him.

"You can't escape this."

"Why not?" She frowned. "And why the  _fuck_  did you never tell me about this?" She never swore at him. She never raised her voice at him with such rage shaking it. And yet, she did. If only she had known about this she would have made sure to never make that mistake.

His eyes flashed red but he let her words slip. He was as mad as she was; it was his mistake and it could not be taken back. "I didn't think it would affect you."

"Well, it did. And now - I'm just - I'm  _stuck_."

The words she said were for Goten's sake. If her father was this afraid of this, then it was true. She would always want Goten, she would always love him. And he would never want her. He would always feel like he got stuck by her side and he could never escape her. This was not how she wanted to win. She rather lose. She wanted to lose. Why could she not lose this one time?

"I'll make him stay."

She scoffed. "I don't want him to stay."

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't want me. That's no way to win."

He always felt like his daughter had feelings for Kakarot's brat. He always say the way she looked at him when he was not looking or how she made sure to be around when he visited. He always chose to ignore it. He hated Kakarot and he did not want his daughter to be around him. This time, she made it impossible to ignore it; she was admitting her feelings. He was never able to resist her; he always gave in to everything she wanted. He supposed this was the best option. Who else would she end up with? A human? His daughter was better than any human. Goten was bad but he was better than humans. He hated it but he could eventually accept this twisted fate.

His daughter? He was not so sure.

"You can't take it back."

"But I don't want it. I'll do what I want. I don't care what you say, I'm gonna stay  _far_  from Goten. I never want to see his face again. He can go back to fucking that  _bitch_  for all I care."

Her words might be coated in wrath but her heart was breaking under the pressure of the pain. Yet, she did not let the tears show. She shed enough tears for that jerk. She would cover the mark up, she would carve it out if she needed to; but she would never be his. She was not a charity case. Her feelings for Goten stopped now. All that she felt towards him was rage and he would never touch her again.

They were done.

Bonded or not.

Fate could  _suck it_.

-M-


	6. Discovery

There was a hollowness in her chest.

Her pulse felt slow and her breathing was shallow while her entire body was covered in aches, inside and out. She wanted to get up but she could not; all she could do was lay down in her bed and not move. It did not begin like this, it did not always feel like this. After her verbal spat with Goten, things began to go downhill. The first day, she was moody and grumpy. Every time someone spoke to her, she snapped. She did not mean to, it simply happened all on its own. Then, as the days went by, it became worst; she was lethargic. She dragged her feet around, she was not as committed to her studies or her inventions.

The worst part happened three weeks later when she did not get up at all. That morning, she stayed in the dark.

She had been that way ever since.

Her father tried to talk to her a few times, mumbling about how he warned her about it but she half listened. She did not want to, she did not have the energy to have him tell her  _I told you so_. Instead, she shut him out each time. She could tell by the flares in his ki that he was less than pleased with her but she ignored that as well.

Goten had not tried to talk to her or contact her since that day. She supposed it was for the best. What would she want to say anyway? They said everything they had to say that day and nothing would change. He did not love her and this was - a mess they would have to deal with, one that might not even be as bad as her father made it out to be. She was fine. Well, mating wise she was fine. She supposed everything else was mostly - depression? She knew of it - though it was not something that should happened to  _her_. She was Bura Briefs. She did not get  _depressed_. She had no reason to - she had everything she could ever want.

And yet, she laid there in her bed, her blue locks tangled and greasy from the lack of showering, and in the same pink and white pyjamas she put on three days ago. She had yet to untangle herself from her silky white sheets. Why would she? She did not want to and frankly it required much more efforts than she was willing to exert. Instead, she let her face sunk in deeper into her soft pastel pink pillow, hoping to disappear inside of it. Unfortunately she was not that lucky. And to top it all off, the bite mark on her neck was driving her  _insane_ ; it was itchy, it hurt, it burn. It did everything except leave her the  _fuck_  alone.

A sigh rolled off her lips and was muffled by the fabric of her pillow case.

Then, a knock echoed on her white wooden door.

She did not have to raise her head; she knew who it was. Her father.

"Go away, please."

She was not in the mood for it at the moment. Could he not understand that? She knew he was trying to help but whatever he had to say was not going to help.

Despite her clear refusal, he opened the door. Light came in and she was forced to shield her eyes with her hand. When was the last time she saw so much brightness?  _Dende_.

Her dad did not close the door behind him, letting the light come in continuously, and then he sat down at the edge of the bed, forcing the mattress the sink. He did not speak, instead, he ran his fingers through her dirty hair, untangling the locks with her fingers. Her father was not always the kindest looking man. But he was sweet, in secret, with those he loved. Sometimes his methods were harsh but he always meant to help. She knew it was what he was doing now but it did not make the weight in her heart any less heavy. She let herself be soothed by the feeling of his fingers against her scalp. It did not help. The sadness in her heart kept growing.

"I warned you."

"I know," she said against her pillow.

"This is because of the mark."

"No, it's not. I'm just - " She did not know how to tell him. Actually, it was not even something she wanted to talk about with him. Feelings, relationship and sex; three conversations she did not want to have with her father. And yet, there she was, constantly having them.

"It  _is_. _"_

"Dad, I'm never going to be with Goten."

"I would rather not. It's too late."

" _He hates me_." Which was a very childish way of saying, she loved him and he did not feel anything for her in return.

"He does not."

"He sees me as his little sister. Same thing."

"He does not."

"How would you know?"

Vegeta sighed before removing his hand from her hair. He did not want to talk to her about this…in details. He was willing to answer her questions since clearly she was stuck in a mess and she did not know the first thing about mating. He thought she would eventually come to realize that he was right. Apparently, she was about as stubborn as her mother.

"He marked you."

"Yeah. Saiyans. Full moon. Crazy," she said sarcastically. Doing something because you are forced to do it was not the same thing as doing it because you wanted to do it.

"Yes, saiyans look for a mate. But he marked you. He could have taken you without marking you."

"He did."

"The first time."

"And?"

"He  _felt_  something." Dende, he hated that word. He sounded like the woman.

For the first time in weeks, she perked up. She lifted her head and looked at her father. "Felt something?"

"He did not only do it because had to or it would not have worked. The mark took on you because you both wanted it."

There was that night. The one where he ended up drunk at her place. She remembered wanting to test her little theory and she did. He did like it; he did not even stop her. She thought - maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the haze of the dream. Could it be that it was something else? Could her father be right?  _No_. He did not even fight her and he had not try to contact her since then. He felt nothing or he would have fought for it. Especially since it would not look bad on him. He could have always said  _the mark_ made him do it. No, Goten did not care.

"Maybe I wanted enough for the both of us," she said, a red hue covering her cheeks. She buried her face back in her pillow and she  _felt_  her father give up. For today, of course. He would be back tomorrow; he always was.

Suddenly, something blocked off the light.

"What is going on? A saiyan sickness?"

She recognized easily her brother's sneer. She snapped her head up and glared at him. "What do you want?"

"Did you catch the same thing as Goten?"

At the sound of his name, she felt her heart race. "What do you mean?" What - Goten?

"He's been mopping around, staying in his bed for the past week. He even missed work."

For a moment, her heart stopped beating. She inhaled deeply and shifted her glance from her brother to her father.  _Goten_  was feeling as crappy as she was? Deep down, she was glad. A part of her wanted him to suffer. Yes, she was selfish and spoiled. She did not care. She felt bad and it was all his fault; he marked her. And now he deserved to feel like his life was nothing more than a spiral of misery. Although, it did mean her father was right; it was all because of that fucking mark. It was making them both feel like crap because what? They were fighting and apart? It was ridiculous. Or was it - was the full moon coming up? Now that it was messing with her life, she should probably keep better track of it.

"Well, considering that what we have in common is  _you_ …"

"Ah. Ah. Funny." Her brother said before rolling his eyes and walking away.

Once he was out of hearing range, she leaned closer to her father. "Don't tell him."

She was mad at Goten and she wanted him to suffer but she did not want to ruin the friendship between her brother and him. They had been friends for so long and nothing should be worth their close friendship. Although, eventually… Trunks would find out. He was not stupid and if the bond was this strong, enough to affect them, the truth would slip out one day. Still, she wanted to keep it a secret as long as possible.

Her father simply nodded. He was not one to gossip or chat anyway, so she doubted he had any intention of telling him in the first place. Plus he probably knew what a mess it would make. And, he was more knowledgeable about the whole process than any of them. She was fairly certain there was a reason, hidden in there, that her father did not kill Goten the moment he found out. She was always his little girl, his little princess and he never really enjoyed the idea of her dating. This was probably no different, despite the fact that Goten was a saiyan - well a half-saiyan.

"What am I gonna do, daddy?"

"I told you already."

"That won't work."

Goten and her were not going to work. It simply was not meant to be. "Is there a way to break it?"

"Death."

Yeah, no. "So  _no_ ," she said with a scoff. "Plus, if that was a way to fix this, you would have already kill Goten," she added with a smile.

"It would hurt you."

"What?"

"If I killed him, it would hurt you."

"Because of this?" she said as she let her hand traveled to the still visible mark on her neck.

He nodded.

And there it was. It probably hurt a lot if her father would not even dare to kill Goten. Did that mean - one day they would die. It would hurt? When someone who did not love her would die, she would feel the worst pain of her life.  _Great_.

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Do this, with mom?"

He turned his head, looking away from her. It was almost missing but she saw it; a faint nod. He never showed how much he cared about her mother - at least not in public. Her father was a very private man and nothing would ever change that. But he loved them and he cared about them. He would not leave, not even for a fight. She would not trade him for any other father in the world. Even now, when this was hell and awkward and fifty shades of fucked up, he stayed and he tried to help. She had no energy, no will to fight.

"When's the next full moon?"

"Soon."

"Are we gonna -"

"No."

She blinked, her eyes opening wide. "No?"

"He marked you. The urges won't be as strong."

Then nothing was going to bring them together. They were going to stay apart and hurt and…never live their lives? Was this the fate that awaited them? She could stand being away from him forever but she could not stand staying like this for the rest of her life. Something had to be done. If only she knew what to do.

She sat up before leaning against his shoulder, her blue hair draping in front of her face. "What am I gonna do?" she repeated.

-M-

"Come on, get up."

He felt the coldness of the air as his blanket was being ripped away from his body. He tried to catch it, prevent it from being tugged away from him but it was hopeless. It was on the ground before he even had the chance to touch it.

"Get up before you don't have a job anymore. You wanna go back to your mother's?"

At those words, he was forced to move. He shifted in his bed, the sheets grazing at his stomach while he flipped on his back. Immediately, Trunks made the mistake of tugging at the blue curtains, shining light upon Goten's still sleeping form. And for a moment, he wondered if it would not be best to simply return to his mother's house. Then again, she  _would_  be worst than Trunks and he would not be allowed to be the  _vegetable_  he had been during the past few days. He could not remember what day it was when he last left his bed. Although from the looks of things Trunks knew and apparently it had been way too long.  _Fuck_.

"Yeah I didn't think so," Trunks said as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest in a manner that reminded Goten of Vegeta. "What is wrong with you man?"

"Nothing is wrong."

"Really? Then why have you been hiding in here for three days?"

Three days? He thought it had been longer than that. Maybe he should go in hiding for a while longer. It would at least prevent him from lying to his best friend. Because no matter what he could not tell Trunks what was going on. As a matter of fact he did not even know if what was happening to him had anything to do with  _that_. Then again, he did begin feeling like shit after she sent him home so politely. He was sluggish, he did not eat - which was a big warning sign to begin with - and he was constantly tired. After a while, he gave into the feeling and let himself just…sleep. All the time.

He remembered Trunks visiting him… a few days ago? But he barely spoke; it required much more energy than he had to offer. This time, Trunks did not want to be ignored.

"I swear, I don't know what's up with you two."

 _You two_? His ears perked up and he turned his head to look at Trunks. "What are you talking about?"

"You and my sister?" He sighed. "She's as much dead weight as you are."

Oh yeah, it had something to do with the mark. Despite that, he would not dare approach Bura; she made it very clear that she wanted them to stay as far from each other as they could. She wanted  _nothing_  to do with him. Apparently he was  _beneath_  her. He was not good enough for Bura. Of course not, she was a  _princess_ , so good, so smart and perfect while he was just a boy from the woods. The word bitch came to mind but he did not dare to think it. Those words had been playing in his mind ever since they spoke and he had not been able to forget about it. It bugged him. Why would she say that?

Actually, he knew why; she was Vegeta's daughter. She thought she was better than everyone.

She had to know they could not be together. He might as well be twice her age! She was not even eighteen years old yet - she was a kid. Alright, she looked nothing like a child and she was raised to be a spoiled  _adult_  most of her life but it did not matter. He would have stood by her because it was the right thing to do but she had to understand his previous actions. He was freaking out - he still was. He could not go from seeing her as a sister to something else in a day. He was not even sure he ever could. It did not mean he intended on abandoning her. But it was what she wanted and it seemed that Bura Briefs always got what she wanted. So he would do it, he would never see her again if that was what she wanted.

Although that did nothing to explain why it pissed him off so much.

He remembered very clearly the day she told him. He wanted to chase after her and yet his feet were glued to the ground. Going after her would have been what he wanted. Leaving her alone was what  _she_  wanted. And that made all of the difference. He still felt he wronged her when he took her that night. The least he could do was avoid her. Right?

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

No. He had to lie. "Nothing is going on."

"Then why are you acting like this? Why is my sister so depressed?" His expression shifted and suddenly, he appeared to be angry.  _Not good_. "Did you fuck my sister?" he spat out.

Goten knew Trunks was not an idiot. Eventually, he would have connected the dots and at the moment it appeared very bad. Goten kept looking away from Trunks. He was not good with this kind of shit. He could not lie, ever and it was worst when it came to Trunks. They were best friends, they knew everything about each other and they grew up together, almost like brothers. Trunks would know the moment he would speak. What was he supposed to do? If he did not answer, it was worst.  _Yes_  he fucked his sister and the less he could do was to be man enough to admit to it. Would he even have the time to explain it was not all his fault? Then again, it was. It might have affected him but he should have been stronger, he should have done better.

The silence was thick, heavy with rage and Goten knew he could not take it back, they could not go back from this.

Instead, he sat up in his bed, resting his arms on his raised legs. His back was slouched, his eyes never looking at Trunks' face. "I'm sorry."

And then it happened. He did not even have time to see it coming but he knew it would end this way. He felt Trunks' fist connect with his face and before he knew it, he was thrown against the wall, denting it with his body. He never resisted, he did not even try to defend himself. This was the reaction he expected from Vegeta, the beating he thought he deserved for what he did to Bura. He did not care that she said it meant nothing; he remembered the tears, he remembered when she came to him that night and was a mess. He did it, he created that day. And now he could not even fix it.

All it did was leave the both of them completely miserable.

Goten let his body fall to the ground and did nothing when he saw Trunk coming at him again. He punched him in the jaw, again and again and again. Goten heard Trunks' knuckles crack and he felt his jaw was ready to do the same. Blood splattered and he knew it was his but he still let his best friend hit him.

After a few more hits, it stopped.

"How? Not you, man, not you."

He was aware that his little sister did not look like most sixteen years old. He was aware that most men looked at her with lust in their eyes and he hated all of them. He wanted to beat them, punch them and protect her. They did not always get along but she was his little sister nonetheless. Goten grew up with her as well. He always saw her as a little sister, at least that was what he thought. Apparently, he was just waiting for his chance to jump her. Bura was far from innocent, he knew that. She could be a tease. But - she would not seduce Goten all on her own.  _He did not even notice her ever looking at him._

What was happening.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"No, you don't get to be sorry."

Goten was his oldest friend, his best friend. They spent their whole life together and he knew he would always be fine because Goten would always have his back and now…he used that trust to  _stab_  him in the back.

"She's  _sixteen!_ "

He never saw Goten even looking at girls younger than twenty-two. How could he suddenly go for his sixteen years old sister? "She's a kid."

"I know." He was lower than low.

Trunks wanted to be mad, he wanted to yell but he wanted Goten to  _fight back_. How was he supposed to beat the shit out of his best friend when he did nothing to defend himself? Punching did not feel good anymore; it just made him feel like shit. He wanted a good fight so that he could let out all the pent up rage. His world was crumbling around him and he did not like it. He wanted to hate Goten but he would never be able to hate him. What was he supposed to do?

"Why?" he managed to ask.

"It's complicated."

"I said  _why_. You fucked my little sister. The least you could do is tell me what the  _fuck_  made you do that?"

Goten moved himself away from the wall and felt the blood dripping down his face as he did so. He tried to move his jaw but it hurt. He was going to be bruised up tomorrow. "I - " He ran his fingers through his hair. "Your dad said it was -"

" _My dad_?" Trunks looked stunned. "My dad knows about this?"

Goten nodded.

"And you're still alive?"

Goten nodded again.

Alright it was official; he lost his mind. There was no way that in this universe Goten fucked his little sister  _and_  his dad knew about it and did not care. It did not make any sense and he felt like his head was ready to explode. Why was everyone keeping this a secret from him and why were they all okay with it? Did his mother knew as well?

He grabbed Goten by the shirt and lifted him from the ground. Goten stood on wobbly feet but made no attempt to move. "Come on," he said as he released him from his hold.

"What?"

"We're going to my house and you're coming."

"I don't think…"

"It wasn't a question."

"Your sister doesn't wanna see me."

Trunks stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Goten. " _Why?"_

 _"_ It's not like that okay. I didn't force her." He was willing to take a lot of shit for what he did but he would not pretend to be something he was not. Yes, he was the older one, yes he should have stopped the situation but he did not  _rape_  her. She was a willing participant. Well, they were both  _semi_  willing participants.

"I don't care. You're coming and you're  _all_  gonna explain it to me." He took a step forward but Goten never moved. "Don't make me drag your ass there because  _I will_."

Their strengths might be equal but right now, Trunks was pretty sure he was angry enough to kill someone and Goten should not test him.

And he knew that. Because after Trunks' little threat, he did follow. Although he made sure to keep some space between him and his soon to be ex best friend.

Hell was about to begin.

-M-

Quietness surrounded Bura's bedroom as the room was plunged into darkness once more. Her dad had agreed to leave her alone and she had been quite grateful. She was quite aware of her problem at hand but she had decided that she had no desire to deal with it at the moment. Plus, it might get better once the full moon was gone. Although…it had begun weeks ago, even before they were near the full moon. Still, if all she had to do was deal with herself being moody and grumpy… she could do that. She would just be acting like her father and everyone tolerated him. It would be fine.

Or so she thought it would be.

Until she felt  _two_  familiar kis coming towards her house.

One was Goten, which already created a empty feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The second one was her brother - and he was  _royally_ pissed off.

 _Oh fuck_. He told him. Goten told Trunks.

Bura jumped out of her bed and scrambled to her feet. She did not even take the time to look at her reflection in the mirror. She began racing downstairs, her heart pumping. Why would Goten tell Trunks? That did not do any good to anyone! Had she not told her father to keep his mouth shut? Even he had agreed it was the best thing to do. She was trying to save their friendship and he just went and ruined it. Even Goten could not be that stupid! Why did he want to waste the one good thing he had?

When she arrived near the front door, it was too late; they were already in the house.

Goten was almost hiding behind Trunks who had rage written all of his face and steam coming out of his ears.  _Oh yeah, he knew_.

"What did you do?" she asked as she let her back slump.

"What did he do?" Trunks asked as he stepped forward. "What did you do?"

"Trunks, it's none of your business," she angrily replied.

She did not need anymore people to know about this. As a matter of fact she would have been happy if nobody have ever known. Secrets could never truly stay secrets could they?

"You. My best friend. It's kind of my business."

"No, it's not. You don't even know what happened."

"No but apparently everyone else does! DAD KNOWS?"

"Yes  _he does_. And he was even less pissed off than you are. So calm down."

"Calm down?"

His rage was slowly fading; instead, there was a bit of sadness forming in his blue eyes. Did she not realize why he was so mad? It was not all about Goten. It was about her. He was supposed to protect her, look out for her and instead he let that happen. He failed as her brother.

"B, you're a kid."

She put her hands on her hips before knitting her eyebrows. "No, I'm not."

"You might think you're not, but you are. You're sixteen."

"So? I'm not a kid. I know what I'm doing."

"You think you do but you don't."

"You don't even know what this is."

" _Shut up. The both of you_."

Both siblings raised their heads at the sound of their father's voice. They turned around only to find him standing beside them, looking less than pleased. "You're interrupting my training."

"You knew about this?" he asked in an accusatory tone.

"Yes."

"And you did nothing?"

"You can't do anything."

"Maybe you can't."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Just be glad you didn't do the same with his niece." He could only deal with one brat at a time. And frankly, the Sons family was involved enough in his life as it was. He did not need his son and  _her_. Not now. Then again, she was a bit younger than Bura, so they might have a bit of time before they had another catastrophe on their hands. Or maybe his son would feel nothing for her. That would be the ideal solution.

"W-what?"

"It's the full moon!" Bura finally screamed. "We're saiyans. The full moon makes us want to  _fuck_. I was old enough, it affected me, it affected him. It was nothing, it meant nothing."

The full moon? He never felt any different under the full moon.

"You don't notice it. There's no one available for you," Vegeta added when he saw the confusion on his son's face.

"So you had sex because of the full moon?"

"I marked her."

"What?"

Goten sighed. He could not take it. He could not let her stand there and explain everything they did by herself. Especially since he was the one who did the worst of it all. It was his fault they were tied together forever.

"He formed a bond with her. An unbreakable bond," Vegeta explained. He did not know why the idiot spoke; he knew nothing of the bond. Neither did his daughter. Hence why he looked about as miserable as she did.

" _What_?" He was beginning to sound like a broken record.

"We're linked together, forever. Oops," Bura said as sarcastically as possible.

Ever since Goten had arrived, she tried not to look at him. She did not want to see his face, she did not want to see his eyes on her. Although, now it was beginning to be difficult; she  _wanted_  to, she needed to. She dared to tilt her head slightly to the left. There he was. Like her, he was in his pyjamas. His hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes. Trunks had been right; he was not sleeping either. They were just both, sad and depressed. What a wonderful pair they made.

"Look, it's complicated. We're dealing with it."

"You're dealing with it?" he asked in disbelief.

He was not happy about any of this and so far he had only gotten half answer but it was enough for him to get the gist of it. He knew they had not seen each other in a long time which might explain why they both looked like they went through hell. At first he thought it might be the guilt but now, with the new information, he was convinced it was much more than that. What were they doing to each other? They looked like they might die if they stayed apart? Was it all part of that bond his father mentioned?

"You're not dealing with it. You both look like shit."

And at those words, neither Bura or Goten could manage to look at Trunks. Instead, they both stared at the ground.

"I don't want you two in the same room. I don't even want you to near each other." He sighed, running his hand through his now damp hair; all this stress was making him sweat. "But you can't stay like this. Clearly it's fucking killing you."

"I have nothing to say to him," Bura said, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Then you better find something," Trunks warned.

He marched back in direction of Goten and once again grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him forward, He shoved him in direction of his sister, nearly causing them to bump into each other. Fortunately, Bura was fast enough to avoid him and moved out of the way.

"Upstairs, the both of you." He saw them open their mouths in protest but he did not give them a chance to speak. "Now. I don't care. Come back down when you're not dying.  _But don't have sex_ ," he said, almost ready to shiver in disgust.

He might have to accept this, for the time being, but he was not ready for either of them to be involved  _that_  way. He was only letting them be alone because clearly they needed it. He might be pissed off as hell but he was not going to let them die because of it.

"Dad?" Bura asked, looking at her father for support.

"The brat's right." He would not have actually brought Goten to his own home but the solution would work. He already mentioned to them that they needed each other and there was no escaping this but instead, they chose to remain apart. They brought it on themselves and he was not going to help his daughter out of it. And Trunks was right on one thing; although it might not kill them, it was not good for them to be apart while ignoring what was happening.

They needed each other. As much as he hated it.

"I'm not going upstairs with him."

"I will lock you in the GR with him if I have to."

"Oh cause I can't get out of there."

"300g. Locked."

 _Bastard_. He knew she never trained under gravity.  _Prick_. She kept her arms crossed for a few seconds, her nose crunched up and her lips twisted into a grimace. And then she gave up. She let her arms dropped to her sides, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. It was easy to hide from him when he was not there. It was another story when she was stuck with him.

"I'm not gonna say anything," she said as she brushed past Goten and went upstairs.

It took a few seconds but he eventually followed her.

His whole body was tensed as he watched her hop the stairs all the way to her bedroom. His blood felt thick, his heart was thumping and he felt deaf. He would feel miserable forever. They were not going to fix this. None of this could be fixed.

His world was over.

His life was hell.

-M-


	7. Truth

Bura was true to her word; she did not speak.

How long had it been?  _Probably an hour_  - at least. And yet, she had not spoken a single word to him. He refused to be the one to break the silence, although he really should be. Still, the rage radiating from her was enough to keep him away and silent. Plus, was there truly anything either of them could say that would fix this situation? He already knew his life was going to be miserable from now on. Even if she did decide to speak to him, it would not make a difference. It was done and they could not take it back. She voiced how she felt about him and that too… would not change.

He did deserve it; it was the price he had to pay for his mistakes.

Really, it was not the worst thing. He was alive.

His best friend hated him, Vegeta probably wanted to kill him, and the woman he was stuck with forever would probably rather chop his head off.

 _But considering everything…_ it was better than being dead right?

Bura was sitting on her bed, surrounded by the pinkness of her comforter, a white pillow between her legs while she hid her face in it. She was looking everywhere, except in his direction. At least, he did not think she was; it was hard to tell with the way her blue locks were fanning around her face, covering her aqua orbs. He was the exact opposite; all he was doing was  _staring_  at her. He observed her tiny feet, her fading pink toenails, her slender fingers, her luscious lips; he noticed it all, even if he did not want to be looking at any of it. Somehow, it made him feel better. It almost chased away some of the heavy loneliness inside of him.

So he kept on looking.

And she kept on wishing he would look the fuck away.

 _Why_  did he have to stare at her? Why did she feel like the only sane person in this house? How could they even talk about this? And what would be the point? She did not want his forced attentions, she did not want to be with someone who  _had_  to be with her. There were nothing to each other, not anymore, and she intended for things to stay that way. She had her pride, her dignity. She wanted to keep what was left of it. Because of that, she ignored the jabs in her heart, the ones telling her it would feel so much better if she just got a little closer to him. She wanted to say it was all because he fucking bit her but she knew better.

Before all this turned into a mess, he was a great source of comfort for her. Goten was not the smartest man alive but he was kind - and goofy. Nobody could put a smile on her face like he could. She often found herself seeking his presence when her mood was less than great. Two minutes with him and she was laughing. It was a gift, one that made her feel for him even harder. Not that any of that mattered anymore. She did not need more reasons to be in love with him - she needed more reasons to hate him. And that was quite a arduous task, hence why she would refuse to look at him.

And he was sitting there, like a lost puppy, respecting her decision.

It was better this way. She did not know what she would say if he spoke.

Where would they even begin?

Her father even said the urges would not make them do anything. She was  _marked_  now. He had her and he did not need her as badly anymore. What a typical male attitude. Though she supposed it would only complicate things further if they kept on sleeping with each other. Plus, he barely got over the last time they had sex. If it happened for a third time, she was fairly certain he might have a heart attack. Though they had yet to sleep together without —  _being influenced_  by something else. Neither of them could hide behind the full moon anymore. If it happened - he could not deny it, pretend he was disgusted with himself.

And she could no longer say she did not have any other choice.

Yup. It was better if each of them just - stayed on their side of the room.

She snuggled closer to her pillow, a heavy sigh threatening to slip her lips.

And it was the first little mistake she made.

"B?"

It was not a word! She was not trying to talk - or have a discussion with him. She was sighing because this situation was the absolute worst and there was no way out of it. If she touched him, it would kill her, psychologically. She could not put up with this, she could not be with someone who did not love her. If she ignored him, it killed her physically and turned her into a complete zombie who had no will, no energy to live. Neither of those choices were very pleasing. The only thing she could do was hurt herself no matter what she decided. At least one of those choices allowed her to keep her pride and …And… she would pick that one.

He saw the flash of hesitation in her eyes but she remained silent. He did not even mean to speak; it slipped him when she sighed. He  _felt_  her sadness, he knew what laid in her heart; he was plagued by the same troubles. Breathing was becoming harder and harder; he wanted to stop, give up. That option was much more pleasing than what they were doing now. Everyone was expecting something out of them and there was nothing they could do. He wish he could fix it, he wish he could see her as he was supposed to but he could. She was a kid, someone he treated like a sister. He could not flip a switch and change his feelings like that.

" _Talk to me_ ," he almost begged.

"I have nothing to say."

"We can't ignore this."

"Maybe  _you_  can't."

He sighed, his frustration rising. Doing nothing went against everything he believed in. He could not stand here and watch her suffer, just like he could no longer bear the pain in his chest. Yes, it was his burden to carry but - one day… would it be too much to bear? And if he felt this bad, then it was certain that she felt the same way. He refused to let it go on any longer. However, he had yet to find a way to fix the situation that would not go against what  _she_  wanted. And it was always about what  _Bura_  wanted. That thought left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

"You look like hell."

"You look worse."

She did not intend to be mean; the words were slipping past her lips all on their own. It was easier to hate him than to love him. Surely, even he could understand that right? Her chest rumbled while she inhaled deeply. This was not the life she pictured for herself and this was surely not the way she thought she would  _get_  him. It was all wrong and it was too late to fix any of it. Anything he would say to her, anything he would do to her, it would all be because of the bond. How was she supposed to live her life knowing the one person she wanted only loved her because he had to?

"It won't happen again," she began, finally raising her head to meet his eyes. "We won't do  _that_  again."

"B, you look like  _hell_. I look like hell. That's not gonna go away."

"Oh yeah, then what do you suggest we do?  _Fuck like bunnies_?"

" _You're the genius,_  you tell me!"

 _Great,_ now he was lashing out at her. He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the dampness of his scalp along the edge of his fingertips.  _This was not how he wanted to do this_. They were supposed to be talking, not fighting. Then again, it appeared it was the way they did things now. Yelled, blackmailed and — that other thing he did not want to talk about.

"I don't know what we're supposed to do," she admitted, her eyes locked with his.  _Yes_ , she was the genius but this time, she did not have a solution to the problem at hand. She knew she did not want to sleep with him - at least not when it did not mean anything. She remembered when her father said the bond only took place because the both of them wanted this, but he had to be confused. Goten did not want this. He did have feelings for her but they used to be the ones a brother has for a sister. Not  _real love_.

"I'm - we can't do  _that_  again."

"I know."

Every time he thought about it, he felt sick to his stomach. It was not because she was not a beautiful woman - of course she was. No one even came close to her; she was her mother's daughter. However, it was not supposed to be like this between them, he was not supposed to want her. He felt lower than low thinking about how he took advantage of her - full moon or not. Her body, her moans; all of it was forever engrave in his mind and - and it should disgust him but it did not. The voice had been like a melody, her skin had been so soft, so tempting. The fact that he was thinking about it  _now_  made him a horrible person.

And now it was worst because every time she was sad, every time she looked at him, hoping he could fix it, there was a tightening in his chest.

He should be able to let go of her. It should not be that difficult. She was important to him, he had known Bura her entire life. But, she was Trunks' sister. He should be able to get up and leave her behind. And he could not. If he saw her shed tears because of him, he would never forgive himself.

"Maybe there are other things we can do."

She shifted her glance, remained silent, but waited for him to continue.

"We've been staying apart. That's not helping. We could -  _spend time together_."

Not like they used to though. He could no longer watch a movie with her while she threw popcorn at his head. He could not tell her stupid jokes and watch her laugh. He could not even hug her hello or kiss her goodbye. The whole relationship they had, it was gone. This mess was all that was left and they needed to scavenge what they could from it. Walking away was the easiest way out, the cowardly option. One if own father opted for more than once. But he was not that man. Because the one who helped him, guided him was not Goku - it was Gohan. And Gohan never walked away.

And so, as hard as it was to stay, as much as he would like to cut all contact with her… like he thought about…he could not.

He had to stay. He had to do what he could, no matter how insignificant that was.

"I don't wanna see you," she finally said. Her eyes were narrowed as she raised a hand to tuck loose strands of blue hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I remember. I'm  _beneath you_."

She almost flinched at his words. She did say that and she did mean it to hurt him. Although, now that he was looking at her with those sad eyes, she almost wished she could take it back. It was rude and cruel of her but - he did not want her and she wanted him to hurt like she hurt. And not because of the bond. She wanted him to hurt because he could not have what he wanted so desperately. Then perhaps he would understand why she wanted nothing to do with him. He lost nothing, his heart was not broken. All he felt was shame and disgust. The price he had to pay was much smaller than hers.

"You are."

"Cut the crap, B."

The sudden rudeness of his words shook her for a second, throwing her for a loop. Goten was sweet; he was not  _this_. "I don't know what you mean."

"We were friends. We used to hang out all the time. You never thought I was beneath you." He knew he was. Of course he was. And it was not about the whole third class saiyan thing. Bura was beautiful, smart, funny - she was everything. She deserved someone who could give her… _everything_. He was not that person. Even if he had felt something for her, it would not have been right.

"Because we were friends, this is different."

"Why is it different?"

"BECAUSE!"  _God_ , she was supposed to be smart was she not? Why was it that when it came to him, she was babbling idiot? She should have answers to his questions and yet none came to mind. She could not lie, not when she felt like this. Her whole body, her whole mind was demanding his presence. What could she do? Turn him down and walk away? She tried that and it turned out to be a disaster. She was miserable without him and she was miserable with him. There was no winning this little game. There was nothing she could do; her own self was against her.

"You were my friend. Then you weren't."

"So I'm only good enough to be your friend."

"Not anymore."

"You  _know_ , I didn't do this alone."

He could take a lot of the blame, he did not care. After all, he did feel like he was fully responsible for all of this. But he was not. He did take her that night when she showed up in his room. He laid her beneath him and took away her innocence. Still, it was  _her_  who showed up - not out of her own will of course. And then she was at his apartment again, blackmailing him. And then she came again, crying. She came to him and he was too weak to let her go. It was not her fault but it was not entirely his fault either. She could not hate him for everything. She could not resent him for not sending her away.

"Oh it's mine?"

If it was up to her, it would not have happened like this.

"It's - an unfortunate situation. Alright, it sucks but there isn't anything we can do about it now, it's too late." He rose to his feet and marched in her direction. He felt this  _pull_  like he had to be near her. He walked until he was at the edge of the bed, standing beside her. "B., I don't wanna see you like this."

She was saiyan, she was strong. She was the one who never trained but did not have to - she was just  _strong_. She was not meant to have dark circles beneath her eyes, sunken cheeks or pale skin. Bura was always lively, a rosiness to her cheeks and a smile on her face, even when she frowned like her father did. He felt like he took her smile away and he hated that. He was always the one who made her smile, not the one who made her miserable. Goten desired nothing more than to change this awful situation. He wished for her smile, for her happiness.

"I'm fine," she said, tilting her head to the left. He looked at her as though she was wounded and she did not want that; it was insulting.

It was not the most important thing in her life. Yes, she had feelings for him, yes, this utterly  _sucked_  - but he was not in charge of her whole life. She did not spend every second thinking about him and eventually, with time, she would get over him. She would not stay stuck on Goten Son her whole life, bond or not.

For the first time since that night, he touched her. His fingers slid across her face as he cupped her cheek with his hand. Part of her wanted to lean into his touch but she kept herself in check. She stayed away, barely letting his palm touching her flesh. He ignored her obvious attempt at preventing him from touching her and he used his hold to turn her head, forcing her to look at him. "B, this isn't going away."

"I want you to go away."

He kneeled on the bed, bringing his body much closer to his. The closeness was enough to relieve the aching in his heart. Already, he could feel the darkness lifting. He was right, they did not need to sleep together for it to work. If they just stayed close, saw each other once in a while, they would be fine. She would have her life and he would have his. Because as much as it was his duty to honor his responsibilities, he also had to let her be free to have her own life. He was not the life she wanted, that was clear and it was best this way. He never thought about being with her either.

He moved his head forward, touching their foreheads. "B, I'm not letting you go. Yell at me, hate me, but this is how we have to do this."

She was the smart rational one - he was the goofy silly guy next door. Except, unlike her, he did not have feelings clouding his judgment. He could tell what was the right thing because his heart did not ache for her and he did not feel betrayed. She felt the tears pooling in her eyes and she swallowed hard, focusing on keeping them at bay. Even now, despite the heart wrenching heart break echoing in her heart, pounding in her head, she felt better. Everywhere he touched, everywhere she could feel him, it soothed the pain away and filled in the voids inside of her.

He was right and she hated that he was.

"Fine," she said so quietly, it was barely a whisper.

He heard it and he forced a smile. He remained that way a second longer, before he tore himself away and forced himself to sit beside her.

"But we are never -"

"Never," he confirmed.

She nodded, lowering her eyes, as a last attempt to prevent the tears from spilling. This was it, this was her life. She had to spend time with the man she loved him. Which would be great - if he loved her back.

But her life was never going to be that simple was it.

-M-

"So?"

"So what?"

"What happened."

"We didn't have sex, if that's what you're asking."

Trunks shut his eyes, his mouth crisping. There was no way he would ever get rid of those mental images now. " _That's not what I meant_."

"Then ask Goten," she said as she pushed some more of her food around her white porcelain plate. She was not hungry. She had a feeling her appetite would take a while before returning. At least she was out of her bedroom and moving around. It had to be a good thing right?

"He almost flew out of here. And he won't pick up my calls."

Things were still tensed between Goten and him. Heck, he even felt awkward just sitting beside his sister. It would take some adjusting to and he knew he needed time. They  _all_  needed time. His father managed to explain this whole thing to him a bit better but it hardly made it any easier to accept the situation. His best friend and his little sister. Then again, he guessed that no one would ever be okay for his sister. He would always have a problem with it, which was why he was glad she never really dated. And now, well she jumped a couple of steps.  _A lot of them_. With Goten.

Alright, he needed to stop thinking about this.

"Then take a hint," she harshly replied.

"Hey, I care about you two alright."

"Then let us deal with it."

"Last time you dealt with it, you both almost killed yourself you were so miserable. You can't be trusted to do the right thing."

"And how do you know what the right thing is?"

Nobody knew what to do and Trunks was no different. He was not the one stuck in this situation and he did not get to have a say about what Goten and her did. He could be concerned fine, but he was not allowed to judge them. He did not lose control, he was not the one tossed into a situation he did not want. It was easy to be on the other side. From where she stood, things were not as simple.

"You two have to fix this."

"That's what we're doing."

"No, you're avoiding each other."

"Both of you  _shut up_."

As their father's voice rumbled through the room, both of them stiffened. He was the one with all of the answers and yet, he barely gave any that she  _liked_. She wanted to be mad at him for not telling her about this. If he warned her, they could have avoided all of this. Then again, how was he to know she had feelings for Goten? And her father was not one who shared, especially not about his saiyan heritage. He spoke to her, he was more open with her than most but not that much. Also, being mad at him would not really help her.  _He_  would simply stop talking and not give her any information.

Plus he was her father, it was much harder to be mad at him than it was Goten.

"Did you talk to the boy?"

He had been too far to listen in on their conversation. Despite his son's stupid warning he knew that them getting physical was a possibility and so, he had no desire to be near his daughter's bedroom. He might need to keep the idiot alive but it did not mean he appreciated all of this. If he had to  _hear_  those things, he would have lost it. He wanted to be kept updated but he did not need  _all_ of the details. Although, they clearly needed to be supervised; they were avoiding the issue at hand.

" _Yes_ , dad."

"And?"

"And what?"

Immediately, a blush covered her cheeks. This was not exactly the kind of thing she wanted to talk about with her father. Even though Goten and her did not decide to do anything  _improper_ …it was not easy to speak about it.

"We're gonna - spend time together."

Trunks raised an eyebrow, ready to comment on her answer but when his father threw a glare his way, he decided it was much better for him to keep his mouth shut.

"And?"

"And that's it. This is about Goten and me, why does everyone keep butting in?"

" _Goten and you_?"

How in the world did none of them hear her coming? All three turned their heads in direction of Bulma, sweat dripping down their necks as their minds overworked, trying to come up with a lie. What were they supposed to tell her? The truth? Trunks did not handle it well. Her father only put up with it because he clearly did not have a choice - and he was keeping a few things from her. Her mother… it was hard to predict how exactly she would react to this. She was not saiyan and though she had seem a lot of crap… she was human and a lot of this was - well  _wrong_.

Bulma rested her hands on her hips and leaned forward.  _They were keeping something from her_. She had long mastered the skill of deciphering Vegeta's facial expression and she knew he felt guilty about something. Since when did her own daughter not even talk to her?

"What's going  _o_ n?"

"Mom, you don't wanna know."

"Oh I think I do."

"Woman -"

"Don't woman me."

She took a step forward, ignoring Vegeta and Trunks' presence completely. Instead, she chose to focus her attention solely on Bura. Her daughter would tell her. They had a good mother-daughter relationship despite the fact that Bulma had her… _later on in life_. They spoke about boys, shopping, make up and inventions. Unlike Trunks, she had no interest in training which helped them build a deeper bond. What could be the one thing that would keep her daughter away from her? She did try to stay out of it. Bura had sulked in her bedroom for days. She thought she might be going through something and left her alone. Although, the longer it dragged her, the more worried she became and now she could not put the lid back on.

She needed to know what made her daughter so miserable.

Bura sunk her teeth in her bottom lip, uncertain if she should lie. It was not as though this situation was going away any time soon. They were stuck and eventually…it would get out. It was clear by the way it affected them physically that they would be able to keep it a secret forever. Her mother would be much angrier if she found out later. Right? Bura sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. Her reaction could not be any worst than Trunks… at least she hoped so.

"I - I slept with Goten."

Bura watched her mother's eyes widened.

"And he marked me."

"Mated," Vegeta corrected, knowing Bulma would understand.

This time, it was her lips that parted to indicate her surprise. She tried to let the information process but she was somewhat unable to wrap her mind around it. She knew the importance of the bond; Vegeta and her discussed it at length and it took a long time before they took that step. Then again, it took them a long time to get anywhere in their relationship. Still, she knew it was a serious commitment that could not be undone. Why would her daughter and Goten do this? She never saw them act as anything than brother and sister. Although, she did notice her daughter had somewhat of a crush on Goten when she was young but…

"It was the full moon," Trunks provided. "It affected them."

"You didn't want this?" she finally asked.

Bura shook her head, her heart swelling in pain. She wanted it but she did not want it like this. However, it was hopeless. She might as well say she did not want it.

Bulma saw the crush look in her daughter's eyes and nodded. There were a million things she wanted to say - scream even. She wanted to understand how all of it unraveled but she also knew one thing; her daughter did not want any of that at the moment. It was not even what she wished for - ever. Clearly Vegeta and Trunks knew about this. And they were men. There was something about this they would never understand, maybe even things Bura would never share with any of them. She would ask her questions later, she would let her head explode later. For now, she would give her daughter what she needed.

Bulma closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Bura. She softly kissed the top of her head, tousling her aqua locks. "Come on, I think we need some girl time," she said as she tugged her up.

And those were the first comforting words Bura had heard in a long time.

-M-

_Now he was the stalker_.

Goten was pacing not too far from Capsule corp. He probably looked like a crazy person stalking the building but he did not care. He tried to go home but he could not. His brother called him - and Goten had to lie. His mother then called to check up on him and he had to do the same thing. Then it was too much and he left. If he was gone and left his cellphone at home, he could ignore them and pretend he was not keeping something from them. He knew Trunks and Vegeta ended up understanding the situation but it was not the same thing. Vegeta was - well he was Vegeta and Trunks was raised in a different environment.

His mother would beat him to death with a frying pan if he learned what he did.

She followed a more traditional path where he had to get married and have children and - well, he was not supposed to do all of those things with a seventeen years old. He was supposed to find a woman his own age. It would be more than her being mad - she would be disappointed and he let her down enough times. He was not like his brother, he was not smart, he was not a scholar. Yes, his mother's rules were not as strict with him and she even trained him but that was mostly because his dad was not around and she had learned that there was nothing she could do to escape this life.

It did not mean she wanted that life for him.

He tried, he really did but it was not him. He got bored in class, always feeling an itching for training. It would not have mattered if he forced himself down that path; it was not for him. And so, he was not like her, he did not have his whole family behind him. He was alone in this. Usually he had Trunks by his side but that friendship was on pause for the next little while. Trunks would be with his sister…and that was fine.

Goten felt lonely and he had no way to deal with it. He was losing all of his bearings at once and she felt like the greatest loss. Did he ever feel more than friendship for her? He scrambled his brain, trying to find an answer but none came to mind. He never thought he did. Her smile always made him smile. Her scent was always so sweet. Her eyes sparkled and hanging out with her felt natural. But that was not what love felt like was it? He had been in love before and it had never been anything like that.

He sighed, resigning himself. He turned around, making sure nobody was around, and began flying. He kept going until he reached her balcony, and then, he landed. The curtains were not pulled back and if he looked through the glass doors, he could see her carefully tucked in her bed with her mother by her side.  _Bulma_. Bulma knew. Of course she knew. It was not like they could keep it from her forever since Trunks and Vegeta found out.

Goten was not sure what he hoped to accomplish by coming here. He was not going to barge into her room, it was not his right. What was he doing? Looking at her? Stalking her? He did not even have an answer to his own behaviour. He leaned towards the window, watching her from closer. This was enough. This soothed most of the pain away. Although it made him feel even more pathetic.

There was no solution to their problem was there?

"It's cold out."

Goten snapped his head to the left only to see Trunks sticking his head out of his window.

"Yeah."

"Don't be stupid. Come inside."

"I'll just go home." He could barely look at Trunks; he felt like he had been caught doing something he was not supposed to do. Well, no he was not supposed to be stalking her. They agreed they would spend time together - not hang out in the middle of the night.

"Stay."

Goten and him barely had a chance to speak and yes he was mad and his head wanted to explode but he could not throw away years of friendship. He meant to wait, to give himself more time but now - he could not. He had rarely seen Goten look so sad. He looked like a sad little puppy, watching its owner from far away. Clearly, there was more going on than Trunks realized. He did not know if it was all the full moon's fault or if Goten felt something towards his little sister prior to this whole mess but - he did not want to know yet. For now, he wanted to have his buddy back. No matter how much information he had to ignore.

"We're still friends."

And Goten joined him inside.

-M-


	8. Dinner Plan

"You're not getting ready for dinner?"

Bura flashed a glare in direction of her brother before crossing her arms in front of her chest. The milky white top of her breasts popped from the confines of her blue t-shirt while she huffed. A stray strand of blue hair moved from her face as the air escaped her pouty lips. She turned her head to the left, looking away from Trunks. "You mean the dinner where everyone is gonna decide everything for me?" She rolled her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering. "No thanks."

Itchy fingers ran through purple locks while Trunks shared his sister's annoyance by sighing. "Nobody is deciding anything."

"Oh I'm sorry, the dinner to announce the happy bond between me and Goten." She forced a smile, her lips crisp and her white teeth showing. "Is that better?"

Trunks tried not to cringe, he really did, but he could not help himself. He might still be friends with Goten but it did not mean this situation was _normal_  or that he was completely over it. He would remain weirded out for a while. He did his best to act as normal as possible and try to be fine with everything that was going on. Though, he sort of had to admit his sister was not completely wrong about what was happening. Regardless of his own personal opinion, he was here by his mother's request and his job was to convince Bura that all of this was a great idea. He seriously doubted that he would be able to make his little sister do anything she did not want to do but… it was worth a shot.

"Mom and dad already know…it's only normal for Chichi and Goku to be informed as well."

"Why?"

Bura never found herself on Chichi's bad side but it did not mean she did not hear all of the stories about her and that wretched frying pan she loved to use. Granted, that would not hurt her much but she still had no desire to take a chance. Plus, when did her life become everyone's business? The decision to tell everyone should have come from Goten and her. Sure they said they would hang out and they had no yet but…  _still_ , that did not mean others could make decisions for them. In the beginning her mother was supportive, she listened to her all night, provided her with comfort but… now she was backstabbing her. Telling her it was not right for Goku and Chichi to be left in the dark.

To be honest, she did not think it really made a difference if Goku knew or not. His reaction would be… fine. It was Chichi she was worried about. Marriage, grandchildren, old fashion values…those were important things to her and the bond between Goten and her broke every single one of those values she held dear. It would not be pretty. Especially since Bura had no intention of ending up with Goten. This was just a mess they had to fix and then they would both move on with their lives. She did not care much for him doing the honourable thing or getting  _stuck_  with her. She would say it time and again; she was a prize, not a punishment.

"Because - Goten and -"

"He's an adult. He doesn't need his parents' permission to  _mate_." Dende, that word left a bittersweet taste in her mouth. She popped her lips, in the hopes that her brother would finally understand her point of view.

"Still, they should know. It's a big deal, B." Although, some days he wished had had been left in the dark.

"But why? We're not in love, it's not a marriage, it's not - we're not planning a future together. Nobody needs to know about this."

"How do you know you're not planning a future together?" He did not want to know. He did  _not_.

"Because we don't love each other."

"You did mate."

"It was a mistake, okay? We weren't in control!" She was the one foolish enough to let her feelings control her, escape her. He was simply a slave to his saiyan's instincts. That mistake hurt. Having it thrown back in her face all the time hurt even more. Would it really have been the same if she had no feelings for him? His instincts did make him  _act_  but - they never brought him to her. She was always the one who went to him.  _And_  that was her heart's fault. Stupid, foolish heart.

Well no more.

"I know." It was hard to miss the hurt flashing in his sister's blue eyes. He could keep on pushing the issue, and he did want to, but he chose to restrain himself. They were siblings, they fought on many things and arguing and low blows were what they did. Except in this situation; the pain was real. He struggled when he interacted with his sister and sometimes he wanted to punch his own best friend in the face. It was a messed up situation and everyone was doing the best they could. "But you can't undo this Bura."

She dropped her arm to her side, causing it to sink into the depths of her pink comforter, disappearing from sight. "Don't you think I know that?"

"And Chichi and Goku are still going to find out."

"Moom shouldn't have been the one who decided."

"It affects everyone."

" _How_?"

He felt his fingers clench at his sides. " _Goten_  isn't just your  _toy_." He knew it was the wrong word to use, a fact that was confirmed by Bura's bulging eyes, but he ignored her. "He's my best friend. Do you think everything is just fine between us?"

"He's not my  _toy!_  And you can still be his friend!"

"He fucked my little sister, it's not that simple." Yes, he still say him. Yes they hung out once or twice - however none of that meant that everything was back to normal. Sometimes, the wrong thing was said, something, there was an awkward silence. It never used to be that way between them. It was too late to go back, all they could do was try to move past this. Obviously it was going to take some time.

" _It's not -_ "

"But it is! You know very well that if it had been anyone else, I would have killed him."

"It's n-"

"You're my little sister. He's  _old!_  I'm old!" He did not know how else to put it. He ran his tongue over his lips and tried to clear his throat. It was dry and his mouth felt like cotton. As he ran his fingers through his hair one more time, he could feel the dampness accumulating on his scalp, rendering his hair heavy with sweat. He was not ready to have this conversation, not yet. Especially since the situation could not be altered. "Just,  _nevermind_ , okay?"

He let another sigh out and dipped his head backward. "Come downstairs."

Those were the last words he spoke before he exited Bura's bedroom. His footsteps were slow but loud, his shoes thundering against the floor with his step he took. He never glanced back, keeping his icy blue eyes looking straight ahead. He did not want to see Bura's face. He was more than aware of how difficult this was for her. But she had to understand it was hard for everyone.

Bura watched him go, her fingers itching with the rage that was slowly burning inside of her. He was not fair. This was not fair. It was not as though she tried to ruin his friendship with Goten. She had been in love with the guy since forever and she never did anything about it. She did not even want anyone to know about what happened. Plus it was just - it was just a  _friendship_. She had her life ruined. It was much worse. Her fingers clenched around her pillow, sinking into the soft silky fabric, and she let out a scream of rage before throwing the pillow violently against the wall.

It fell back on the floor in complete silence.

It was pointless, all of this was pointless.  _And_  she would have to go to this stupid dinner. She had a feeling Trunks was just the first of many… Perhaps it would be much better to simply get rid of this awful task instead of dealing with everyone. Maybe she could get away with nodding and fake smiling? It worked so far. At least Goten would be as miserable as her. Hopefully Chichi's rage would distract everyone and she would be able to run away and find a hiding place.

If only she could disappear. That would solve all of her problems.

-M-

A soft knock echoed on the door, startling Bura. Her pale shoulders rose in surprise and she immediately snapped her head to the left, sending blue locks floating around her head. She expected to see her mother - since her brother was now avoiding her - but she found someone unexpected; Goten. He was leaning against the doorway, staring at the floor so he would not have to look at her. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, pushing the black fabric to the limit as he kept shoving them deeper and deeper. He made circles with his foot as though he was afraid to speak.

Well…none of their conversations went very well.

"What?"

Her tone was a bit snappy but he could not blame her. He was on edge; he was sweating - enough to create disgusting sweat circles beneath his armpits, his hair kept standing in all directions and his neck was red from all the scratching he was doing. His mother was going to kill him. Actually only killing him would be merciful. She would probably do something much worse than that. It was in fact the reason  _why_  he came to see Bura. He was hoping she would help him. Unfortunately, she did not appear to be in a great mood and her answer was most likely going to be very negative.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

She ignored him and re-focused her attention on her golden framed mirror. She grabbed a handful of her hair, trying to put it in a ponytail. It did not matter what her hair looked like and yet she focused on that small insignificant detail. It was the only thing she could control. Everything else about tonight was out of her hands.

"B… I need to ask you something."

Her tongue darted out of her lips and she froze in her actions. Her glance shifted upwards and she looked at him through his reflection in the mirror. She let her hair drop back down to her shoulders and then let her arms rest. "What is it?" She almost refused his request before he even asked but… there was something about his eyes. Plus, he was making efforts which meant she should be doing the same. It was hard though.

"It's about my mom." He took a step forward. "I- this is bad for me. She's gonna kill me." He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it and sending his bangs straight up. He tugged at his hair before letting go. "I need you to lie."

This time, she had no choice; Bura turned around. "You need me to do what?"

"I need you to lie."

"I can't lie. Do you think this is my idea? Do you think I want to tell your mother? They set up this whole dinner so we could tell your parents. They won't let us chicken out."

Goten shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what the hell are you talking about?"

"I need you to pretend that…" One deep breathe. "I need you to pretend that we have feelings for each other."

The request stunned her beyond belief and she found herself unable to speak. Her guts twisted, a million scenarios filled her mind and she was speechless despite how many times she tried to open her mouth. She slowly backed away, her wide eyes still on him. She felt her heart skip a few beats as her knees finally hit the mattress. She let herself drop down and then, she replayed his words in her mind. He was not asking her what she thought he was asking. He would not do that to her. This was hell; this whole situation was her own personal hell. He could not ask her to make it worse.

"Are you insane?"

 _It was the reaction he expected_. No actually, he expected a lot of yelling - and throwing. Yes, he expected her to throw things at him. This was going smoother than he thought. It was a good thing right? Unless she was containing all of her rage. That would be extremely bad. They managed to make small progress lately. They talked, they sat near each other… It helped both of them. At least they were no longer hiding in the dark, completely depress. He did not exactly want to go back to that. He could not afford to get her mad at him again. But… he also could not tell his mother the truth.

His body dropped, while his stomach rolled and he felt his heartbeat slow to a sluggish pace. He controlled the tremble of his bottom lip and inhaled deeply, forcing his chest to rise. "I can't do this to her." There was an ache in the back of his throat which made it difficult for him to speak. "I'm not my brother," he finally admitted, crumpling under her scrutiny. His shoulders were hunched as he knew she would need more than that. He had to share with her, tell her things he rather keep locked inside of himself. "He's smart, he's got a wife, a kid and - man he's got it all figured out. He always did. He could balance being a strong warrior and a genius. I can't. Even if I could… I'm not smart."

She leaned forward, ready to speak, but he did not let her interrupt. "And I know she loves me but I can't do it again, B. I can't disappoint her one more time. Finding a nice girl, doing it the right way… it's all I got to make her proud… and I couldn't even do that right." His breath hitched and his chin trembled as his chest rose one more time, filling his lungs with air. "I don't need her to see me as more of a screw up than I already am."

He closed his eyes. "I know it's not fair of me. I know I shouldn't ask this. But - I  _need_  you B."

This time, he went fully silent, waiting for her to reply. He was nervous, he was uncomfortable; he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. He did not want many people to see that side of him. He did not like it. He did not even want to think about the fact that it existed.

Bura did not know what to say. On some level she could relate. She might be as smart as her brother but it did not make things any easier. He already did everything, he already impressed everyone with his genius and fast pace rise to the top. All she could do was the  _same_  as him. She could not do any better - there was nobody left to impress. Plus, he was a much better fighter than she was. Her father did not even want to train her. All she could ever be was the same as her brother, stuck in his shadow forever, no matter how hard she tried. Although, as opposed to Goten, it was not her mother she was afraid of disappointing; it was her father.

…And it was too late to worry about that. She already did.

What could she answer? Especially after he said he  _needed_  her. "Fine."

To say that Goten was stunned was the kindest way to put it. His eyes bulged out and he slouched. "Fine?"

"Yes,  _fine_ , are you deaf?"

"No, I didn't -  _thank you_."

She nodded before turning her head to the left. It prevented him from seeing the small blush forming on her cheeks. She did not even know why she was embarrassed. She rose back up and smoothened her dress, removing all of the wrinkles. "Is there anything else you need?"

He shook his head; that was more than enough.

"So you just - I have to  _what_  tell her we're in love?" She did not want to say  _pretend I have feelings for you_. It hit a bit too close to home. She rather pretend she did  _not_  have feelings for him. Denial was much easier.

"Yeah - I mean  _yeah_. And you know, hm." Wow, this was uncomfortable. "Pretend we're in love."

She blinked once. "Pretend  _how_?"

"Just - things people do."

She arched an eyebrow and he knew she was not convinced.

"Nothing big, I was thinking you know, holding hands."

Holding hands she could do. Then again, she should be able to tolerate everything and anything. They did much worse than that and she could still be in his presence. Holding hands was easy right?

"Fine."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang and they both looked in direction of the door. They did not even need to go downstairs to know who it was. The atmosphere suddenly thickened and Goten found it hard to breathe. Could he lie in front of his mother? Could he convince her that this situation was not as bad as she thought? He really hoped they could be convincing. Although as he looked at them, barely able to stand next to each other… he was not certain they could pull it off. His mother would see right through them and then - he was in for a hell of a road.

He was doomed.

"Let's do this," he said, extending his hand out, hoping she would intertwine her fingers with his.

And she did.

-M-

"THIS IS INSANE!"

"Mom-"

" _She's just a kid!"_

"Chichi-"

"I mean what were you thinking! I raised you better than this! Going around  _mating_  young girls! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GOTEN SON?"

The situation was out of control. He expected a mess but this was much worse than he ever expected. He could not even speak, he could not even explain himself. As soon as Bulma gently broke down the news, it became chaos. His mother yelled insult after insult, lecturing him over and over again. There was no hope for him to ever explain himself. Bura and him did not even have time to put on their little charade. They came down holding hands but the only person that truly noticed was Trunks. He glared at their joined hands and Bura and him never let go of each other almost immediately.

He did not think about the fact that  _others_  might blow his cover. He was simply hoping they would go along with it.

"Mom, it's not like that."

"I  _mean_  you're not an animal! I raised you to be a well behaved gentleman!"

" _We love each other_."

That stopped everyone from talking and all the attention went to Bura. She did not expect her intervention to work so well. Although what else was she supposed to do? The way her mother described the situation was - well too close to the truth. She painted them as animals victims of their instincts. Sex. That's all. It was what it was but Chichi did not need to know that. Afraid that Goten might die of a heart attack, she intervened. Except that now she needed to come up with something else -  _quick_.

"You what?"

"We - we love each other," she repeated before linking her arm with Goten's. He really owed her for this. Nobody broke the news gently to her family, she had to deal with the whole aftermath on her own. Still, she could not get his sad looking face out of her mind. "We wanted to wait until I was older but - well, the full moon got the best of us."

"You two - you two were seeing each other?"

"It wasn't like that," Goten chimed in, finally helping Bura out. About time; it was his mess. "We were going to wait until it was right. But we had feelings for each other."

Chichi was not the only one who appeared to be quite stunned by the news; Bulma was as well and Trunks was confused. This was not the story either of them heard. Vegeta on the other hand simply kept eating his food, never looking at the guests. The harpy already annoyed him enough with her screaming that he was simply glad his daughter managed to shut her up. Although he knew exactly what Bura was doing. Yet, he decided it was none of his concern. Beside him, Goku was chewing on a piece of chicken, a smile on his face.

He took the news better than Chichi - he even qualified it as  _awesome_. Even if that earned him a slap from Chichi.

"So you two love each other?" Chichi said as she leaned back into her chair. "But it doesn't make any of this right."

"I'm gonna marry her - when - when the time is right."

This time it was Bura's turn to look shock as hell. Alright, they talked about pretending and that she could handle - but this marriage talk was going a little bit too far. Plus, Chichi would clearly see through this charade; they were never going to get married. What was he getting them into? What if she decided to plan the whole thing? This was bad, very bad. She squeezed his upper arm, slightly digging her fingers into his skin, hoping he would get her subtle message. If he kept going in that direction, he could kiss his little pretend goodbye.

Chichi frowned at her son's declaration before turning her head to look at Bulma. "And you're okay with this?"

"No - Yes… I mean. It's done Chichi. They couldn't help it. But they - - erm, love each other. We all do crazy things in love. They promised to keep it  _chaste._ All we can do at this point is make the best out of a bad situation." One thing was for sure; Bulma was going to have a long talk with her daughter. She did not enjoy lying like this.

Chichi sighed. "I suppose you're right. I'm still not happy about it though," she said as she crossed her arms, her eyebrows still furrowed.

Bura felt Goten relax beside her. For his sake, she hoped he did not think he was out of trouble; she wanted a little explanation for his little marriage stunt. Although she had a feeling she would not get it just yet. She remained beside him, holding on to his arm with a smile plastered on her face. The dinner kept going, the tension still high. Sometimes Chichi would throw glances their way and Bura would do her best to look in love. Really, it was not that hard - which was fairly pathetic. Regardless, she was getting used to her new reality; she would have to live with it for a long time. She might as well accept her fate now.

Once the food was served, Bulma suggested that everyone moved to the living room. The tension remained present but things were going better. Bura jumped on the opportunity. She held Goten back while everyone headed away from the kitchen. Once she made sure  _Chichi_  was away from hearing range, she grabbed Goten by the wrist and spun him around. It came so unexpected that he nearly tripped forward - and he would have if it was not for the steel hold she had on him.

" _Marriage_?"

Yeah… he knew that was going to come back to bite him in the ass. "It came out… I didn't mean to - she was just freaking out and —"

"Yeah and how much do you think she's gonna freak out when she finds out we're never gonna get married?" she said while letting go of him. "I didn't agree to  _that_. I agree to pretend for a night - not forever."

He already told her he wanted to do right by her and they already figured out that they were miserable when they were too far apart. Frankly all of this made him think that there was not many ways this whole mess could end. They would never be able to go on with their own lives, never seeing each other. They were already screwed. They would be in this forever. And as his mother said, she raised him better than that. He would find a proper solution to it all but he would make sure it would be honourable.

"We're stuck in this mess forever, B."

"No we're not. I'm gonna fix it." She simply did not know how yet. "It'll get better, it's just too recent."

"How did you feel?"

"What?"

"How did you feel tonight?"

"Fine.. Why?"

"No ache? No pain?"

Her lips parted but then, she closed them up again. No, her heart did not feel crush, no she did not feel as though someone was sucking her soul out of her. She felt a sort of inner peace she had not experienced in a while. And it was all because - because they were near each other, touching one and another. Except she did not want to say any of it out loud because that would mean he was right and -  _goddamn it_ , he had asked enough of her for one night.

"What's your point?"

"This is the answer."

"Marriage is not the answer."

"Something has got to be."

" _Look_ , we talked about this already, Goten. I don't need you to do right by me and we are never - we won't be together that way again. So we just need to find a way to deal with this mess and everything will be alright."

" _You guys coming?"_

It was Trunks.

Bura had a feeling she would be having another chat with her brother. He glanced at her the whole night and she knew he would lecture her yet again. Why was it so hard for people to understand that this was a mess and no one had control over it. Heck, the only person who had some knowledge of mating was her father - and it was not like he was in a sharing mood. He even waited until it was too late. Still, Bura was going to need his help if she wanted to figure a way out of this mating thing. She did not care how permanent he said it was; she would break it. She was smart, she could do it.

" _Yeah_ ," she said as she walked past Goten, brushing up against him. He felt the heat of her body as their clothed skin made contact and he stiffened for a moment. He watched her leave, unable to move, his skin on fire and a weight pilling up in the pit of his stomach.

Why did he feel so screwed?

-M-

Hours of awkwardness went by before Chichi decided that it was time for her to go home. Unfortunately for her, Goku had something else in mind; sparring. As soon as everyone went in the living room, Vegeta and Goku went in the backyard. Their little fight could be heard from all the way inside the house. Chichi had hoped they would stop before sundown but she did not get her wish. Instead, it was late into the evening and the two stubborn saiyans were still fighting each other. The whole point of Goku getting his driver's license was so that they could drive around.

She did not want to be stuck waiting for him.

"Goten, can you take me home?"

"Hm, yeah sure, of course."

He did feel slightly nervous about being alone with his mother - in her home, with her frying pan - but he felt it was worse if he refused her the lift. Plus, he was not certain he wanted to stay at Capsule Corp. with Bura. The closeness had become a little too much. His mother saved them a spot together on the couch. He was not sure if she bought their charade or if she was putting them to the test. Regardless, they ended up sitting next to each other, his arm around her shoulder and her head near his chest. She probably listened to his fast pace heartbeat the whole time.

A little space between them would be good.

He no longer felt despair like before. No, instead it was quite worse. His body felt on fire and he was not quite sure it was a good thing.

In fact, he was convinced that it was a very, very, very bad thing.

"Thank you," Chichi said as she rose from the couch. She glanced in direction of Bulma and offered her a smile. "Thank you for having us."

"No problem," Bulma said as she closed the distance to hug her old friend. She could tell Chichi still was not thrilled with everything she learned. It was hard to blame her; even Bulma remained shaken by it.

"Bura," Chichi said as she offered the young girl a nod. Bura stood up but she did not know if she was supposed to hug Chichi or —  _or_. Chichi fixed the dilemma for her when she extended her hand. " _You're a_ nice _girl,"_  Chichi finally settled on as she squeezed Bura's hands with both of hers.

It was not like she hated Bura. She was smart, she had money, she went to school… Chichi never even saw her with a boyfriend. No, Bura was good girl. But she was young and - oh it was all so messy. They - they shared something they should not have shared already. Still, her son could have done worst. A Briefs. It was - it was good. She would simply need a lot of time to completely be fine with it. A wedding would help.

"Go ahead," Chichi said as she let go of Bura.

"Me?"

"Yes,  _you_ ," Chichi said, nearly rolling her eyes. "You can say goodbye, it's fine."

 _Oh - oh_. She wanted him to say goodbye to Bura? Well. It made sense - considering how in love they were supposed to be. Problem was, it was not something he thought he should risk. Also, he already asked way too much of Bura and he could tell she remained very unpleased by the whole  _marriage_  thing. He could not explain why he blurred it out; it was an accident. He only meant to calm his mother. Plus, really, a wedding was much less permanent than what they already did…

His limbs were restless as he turned to face his  _girlfriend_. Their eyes met and he saw the uncertainty dancing into her blue eyes. It was too late for her to pull away from this charade. Why did she say yes? She should have said no from the start. It was all his fault. There was a reason she had feelings for him. Goten was a good person, a good soul. He was kind, he loved, he helped and dende, he was funny. She knew how hard he tried to make his mother proud, she knew he wanted to be as good as his brother but simply could not. She felt bad to take that away from him. They were partially in this mess because of her. It was her stupid feelings that made the balance tip in the wrong direction.

And now she was stuck playing house.

She forced a smile on her lips and closed the distance between them. Stiff, Goten grabbed her shoulders with his hands, trying to hold on to her gently. His stomach churned as he leaned forward, almost waiting for her to back away. Could he get away with a kiss on the cheek? Probably not. He wanted to, he wanted to take the easy way out. However, by the time he thought about sliding over to her cheek it was too late; their lips met.

At first, it was chaste, their lips barely moving. Then, it changed. Her lips were moist, his were gliding against hers with ease. His hands were dropping, his focus changing. They glided down the length of her arms until he reached her wrists. She tilted her head to the left and he suddenly had better access. Another lip lock, another brush of her lips. And then, a tongue slipped and suddenly there was a growl erupting inside of him. It was all it took for them to throw themselves away from one and another.

Bura was breathing heavily, keeping a safe distant from Goten, while he did the same.

The closeness, it soothed the aches inside of him. Being close to her brought him back to their friendship, back when things were not this awkward and then - and then he was not sure what happened. Was it his tongue? Was it her tongue?

 _There should not have been any tongue_.

"G'night," he rushed out as he headed straight for the door.

Meanwhile, Bura stood there, looking at the ground while her brother was glaring at her.

 _What happened_?

-M-


	9. Jealousy

Why did his plans always go wrong?

His plan was supposed to make things easier, it was supposed to fix the mess he was in. Instead, it only complicated things further. Sure, he might have convinced his mother not to murder him but the charade was pricey. Bura and him used to be on  _decent terms_  but after that kiss - it was all over. She did not try to contact him and he did not try to reach her. How could he? It became out of control too rapidly and they were clearly both shaken by it. She was B, his little B. He should not get turned on like this by kissing her… he should have never proposed that stupid plan.

Also, that was not the worst of it.

In the midst of all the pain, the loneliness that drove him insane, brought along by her missing presence… there was another side effect to his plan. His best friend chose to ignore him. Although things remained shaken, Trunks and him were able to find common grounds and get along. Since the dinner, Trunks did not return any of his call. Each time Goten phoned him, he was sent straight to voicemail and his  _best friend_  never bothered to return any of them. He thought things were well between them but apparently he was fooled by yet another illusion. He was losing everything one by one and now…

He did not know how to get back on his feet.

He was grasping at straws, trying to grip at the remnants of his life. His sanity, his best friend, his happiness… it all vanished. Plus Bura was right, eventually, his mother would see through the charade. How long could they keep up the walls of delusion? Not long, especially since Bura and him were not talking. It hardly mattered how hard he tried, it was without hope; she would not let him make it right by her. Still, he could not blame her. She was far too young to begin a life of unhappiness… even if he felt they were doomed to unhappiness no matter what decision they chose.

No path led to happiness.

A long sigh passed his lips as he leaned back into his bed. He did not want to get out of here, he did not want to see the world. His life was nothing more than an empty shell. Mere months ago he was happy, he was going back to Paris and he… had goals and hope. Now he had nothing except unwanted responsibilities looming over his head.

The worst part?

He could not get that fucking kiss out of his head. It was unlike the other times. He was fully present, fully in control. He did not even have an excuse for his horrible behavior.

He was simply a monster.

Miles away from him, Bura was in a quite different situation. Despite her intense desire to mope, she pulled herself together. She shoved the urges away, focusing on herself. She sat in her black chair, her tush sitting on the soft, silky pink cushion, and she stared at her reflection. Her fingers rummaged through her blue strands, trying to give her hair a bit of volume. Once she was satisfied, she ran her fingers through her bangs, straightening them before running her thumbs over her aqua eyebrows. She inspected her eyeliner along with her eyeshadow; perfect. All that was left was to paint her lips.

She wrapped her fingers around her silver lipstick and popped the cap opened, revealing a bright red color, one that would contrast greatly with her hair. "Perfect," she whispered before generously applying the crimson upon her pink petal lips. Once she was satisfied she smooched her lips together, spreading it evenly.

There would be no mopping around for her - she did enough of that. The atmosphere in her house was suffocating. Her brother constantly threw glances her way, sometimes confused, while her mother kept trying to have a talk with her. The little stunt Goten and her pulled during dinner brought forward many questions. She told him not to worry about it, she even told her mother it was all about creating a lie for Chichi, but nobody appeared to be convinced. It was that damn fucking kiss.

The first night after the incident, she did not catch a wink of sleep. Instead, she was tormented by the memory. This time, Goten had absolutely no excuse; he was not under the influence of his instincts, he was not intoxicated. Yet, despite being perfectly normal, he shoved his tongue down her throat. Worst of all? She enjoyed it. Of course she did. She was the stupid one who put her heart into the whole matter. In spite of her many attempts to clear her feelings from her heart, she failed. She decided that the only way to forget him, the only way to prevent herself from wallowing in self pity and depression was to focus her mind on something else.

The only way to do that?  _Clubbing_.

Loud music, drunk people. What else could be better?

She remembered her father's words, she knew what he said about the whole…mating thing and how they would be lonely without each other but she intended on proving him wrong. She would go out, she would have a drink and she would let someone touch her. She needed to get the feeling of his hands off of her body, away from her mind. Maybe then, she could free her heart and approach the whole matter with a cold hearted mind, which was what he was doing. There would be less chance she would get hurt and then maybe she could deal with this whole  _I need him_  feeling.

Maybe.

She inhaled deeply before rising to her feet. She fixed her strapless little black dress, lifting it slightly as to not reveal  _too much_  cleavage. She was not trying to look like a whore either. Satisfied with her overall appearance, she turned away from her reflection and headed for the door. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she stepped out, she nearly collided with her brother. At first his eyes before grazed over her but once he realized how she was dressed up he froze. He judged her with his eyes, blue eyes cold as they met hers. But he stayed silent.

She offered him a shrug before brushing past him as she headed to the front door. Every time she took a step, she could feel his eyes on her. Whatever, if he wanted to be a baby about it and not speak, it was his problem. She was tired of the bullshit. She wanted to forget all about it.

-M-

_Money was good_.

Usually, Bura did not notice. After all, she had money her entire life, meaning she was a bit oblivious to poorer conditions. Of course, she could spot the differences but tonight, she knew her money was power. She got into the club easily, despite her young age - it was surprising what bouncers were willing to ignore for 40,000 yen. And now, the drinks were pouring. She was half-saiyan meaning she required a lot of alcohol to get drunk. Even after hours of drinking and non-stop drinks, she only felt like she was half-drunk. It did feel liberating, allowing her to dance the night away.

Sweaty bodies were brushing together, skin to skin contact sending electricity through her body. In spite of her reputation, this was not her usual lifestyle. Although, the paparazzi did give her some ideas with all the fake rumours they wrote about her. What was the worst that could happen anyway? They already thought she was a whore partying it up every night. One night could not do much damages - she would deny it, like she did every single time.

Her night was going well so far too. She danced with a few men and the drinks were delicious. Unfortunately for her, it could not continue that way. It was a harsh truth she was forced to face when she turned around, a new drink in her hands. There, standing near a wooden pillar was her  _favorite_  person in the whole world;  _Paris_. What the fuck was she doing here? At first, in a moment of panic, her eyes gazed the horizon, trying to see if perhaps Goten was with her. After all, she was the  _love of his life_ , the one girl he could not forget no matter how much she screwed him over.

Bura remembered fuming over the girl, never understanding what Goten saw in her. She was dumb, spoiled and often demanded expensive gift from Goten. She played with him, she tossed him away, only taking him back when it suited her. Why would he put up with that? He deserved so much more than her. Even her brother agreed with her but - like everyone else, they did not say anything. Goten was  _happy_  - at least when they were together… because when she would break up with him, he would be a mess and Trunks would spend a week hitting up all the clubs with him.

He might still return to her. One day, the guilt would ease away and he would want a normal life, one that did not include her - a useless little girl. Paris would probably be the first person he went running to… and she would hate it.

Unfortunately for Bura, she was so busy glaring at Paris, lost in her thoughts, she never noticed as the brunette turned her head in her direction. It only took Paris a second before she spotted Bura; the blue hair was almost a dead give away. By the time Bura was back to reality, Paris had already begun closing the distance between them, and she knew it was too late to turn around. She did not want Paris to think she was running away. She was Bura Briefs, she did not coward away; she faced things head on.

"Aren't ya a little young to be here?"

"How is this any of your business?" Bura asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Are mommy and daddy here with you?" The dislike was mutual; Paris never appreciated the young girl. At first, she had no problem with her; who would not want to be a acquaintance of Bura Briefs? However, it quickly became obvious that the  _teenager_  was nothing but an angry bitch and Paris dropped the project. Once she began giving her attitude, Paris did the same. Ever since then, they never had a good relationship - to the point where Goten rarely invited her over to Capsule Corp.

Bura's nose crunched and her eyelids dangerously lowered. "They don't need to be here.  _I'm_  not on an allowance. I have my own credit cards."

Goten slipped one day, sharing with everyone that Paris' parents took away her credit cards because she was spending too much money. Although they were generous with their allowances, she was still on a budget and Bura found that hilarious. So much for Paris thinking she was better than everyone.

Paris put her hands on her hips, leaning forward. "Listen you little brat, I could have you escorted out. I'm pretty sure you don't have a valid ID."

"I don't need one. And  _trust_  me, if they're gonna throw anyone out of here, it's gonna be you."

"You're lucky I don't wanna bother Goten, or I'd let him know his annoying little  _sister_  needs to be picked up."

Sister. She hated that fucking word; she was not his sister, they were not related. Everyone was labelling them which was creating the stigma in the first place. She was certain that Goten would not feel as bad if he did not see her as family. How many men laid eyes on her tonight? None of them cared that she looked a little young. Why did he?

"That would be hard to do since he broke up with you." She knew Goten, he was too good to keep seeing Paris while they were  _attached_.

"He did not break up with me," she snarled. She quickly glanced at her friends to make sure they understood that nobody dumped  _her_. Yes, Goten might have chocked on her a few times and cancelled their plans but it was a routine he often did. It did not mean anything. Once she would call him again, he would come running, ready to kiss her feet. He could never resist a night with her.

"Really? Funny, I was so sure he broke up with you. You know, that time you desperately threw yourself at him? Remember…the door of his apartment was broken?"

This time, Paris' eyes widened and Bura smirked in satisfaction. It was a bad slip up, she should not have shared so much information and yet victory was pulsing through her blood and she did not want to quit, not when she was so close to shutting the bitch up.

"How do you know that?"

Bura offered a shrug.

"Awe, are you the one who broke it? Did you  _finally_  confess your love to him and raged when he turned you down?" Paris laughed. "Do you think I didn't notice? You had puppy eyes every time he came into the room."

"I  _know_  because  _we broke it_."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why do you think he disappeared when you went in?"

" _You and Goten?"_  She said, as though it was the most impossible thing in the world. Goten did not like little girls, he went for women, beautiful women like her. She was lying.

"Yeah, me and Goten. Why do you think he kicked you out afterwards?"

This time, Paris was completely speechless. She wanted to call her out on her crap, tell her she was a little lying bitch but she could not. She tried to put the pieces together, hoping to find a hole in her story but everything matched up. Plus, how would she know all those details? Perhaps Goten told - no, he might have said something about the door but it would not explain why she knew he went straight to his bedroom… did… would Goten really sleep with  _her_?

"This isn't over," Paris said as she brushed up against Bura, trying to knock her down but Bura did not even bulge. Instead, she stood there with a proud smirk on her face.

She lifted her glass, drinking her vodka like a shooter. It burned down her throat, sending jolts of warmth through her limbs. The bitch was done and perhaps she would understand that it was best to stay away from Goten. He might not be hers but he sure as well was not going to be Paris. He would take someone one day and she would deal with it but it could not be that whore. She turned back to the bar and dropped her empty glass on the counter. She lifted her finger, ready to order a new one.

The night was only beginning.

-M-

_Riiiing. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing._

Goten blinked, his head pounding. He flashed his eyes opened, searching for the time.  _4:02_. Who the fuck was calling him so goddamn late? He was tempted to ignore the call but a part of him hoped it would be Trunks calling. He stretched his arm out, freeing his hand from his white sheets, and he wrapped his fingers around his buzzing, ringing cellphone. He lifted it up, glancing at the bright, flashing screen.  _Paris_. Paris? Why would she be calling him? He wanted to shove his cellphone away, knowing she was the last person he wanted to deal with but -  _but_ …

He swiped his phone open and pressed the green icon. "Hello?" he answered, his voice groggy.

" _YOU BETTER HAVE A FUCKING - FUCKING - YOU BETTER HAVE AN EXPLANATION."_

He could easily tell that she was way past drunk although that did not make understanding her any easier. "Paris? What are you talking about?"

" _I'm talking about your little whore."_

His heart skipped a beat but he convinced himself she was not talking about Bura. "We're not together anymore Paris."

" _And that means you can fuck that - KID?"_

Okay, she was talking about Bura. Fuck. What? How did she even know about her? There was no way… Bura would not tell, her family would not tell. He was fairly certain that his would not either. His mother would not say a word about this until they were married or something. She would make sure that it would not seem shameful.

"Paris - I don't know what you're talking about."

" _So your little girlfriend is lying? She sure was running her mouth off at the club."_

 _"_ She's not my girlfrie- at the club?"

" _Awe, you don't know? Yeah she's rubbing her ass on some guys at the Zone._ "

"Look, she's not my girlfriend and it's not my problem." He hung up the phone, his breath caught in his throat. He gripped his fingers around it, a moment away from crushing it under his sheer force.  _BURA_  told her about this? Why the fuck would she do this?

He was breathing heavily through his nose, rage spreading through his blood. He could not let her blabber about this. He could not let people know about what happened between them. "Fuck!" he cursed out loud.

Goten stepped out of his bed, the sheet falling from his waist. He jumped on the floor, the coldness of the ground spreading to his feet. He darted around in the darkness, attempting to locate his clothes; he could not show up to the club in his underwear. He grabbed the cleanest pair of jean he could find and quickly slipped it on before rummaging through his closet in the hope of locating a dress shirt. He yanked a blue one from the hanger and put it on, never buttoning it. Instead, he rushed through his apartment and began flying through the sky. Usually he would use a car but the situation was pressing.

What was Bura thinking?

He arrived to the club in a flash; he was certain he never quite flew so fast in his life before. He landed quietly, near a few trees, in the hope that no one would notice him. Then, he buttoned his shirt up as he walked to the entrance. He was able to go in quite easily since there was no line. He ran his fingers through his tangled hair as he moved through the small crowds. For the most part, everyone was gone and those that remained were drunk, reeking of alcohol. His eyes searched the club until quickly, he spotted blue hair.

What he found was not what he expected.

Bura was sitting on one of the brown leather couch, leaning over some  _guy_. Her tiny, delicate hand was on his thigh, while she was whispering something in his ear. She was giggling while they tall, black haired guy was smirking like an idiot - probably thinking he found an easy one. Goten's eyes narrowed and he closed the distance between them. It was not like he was jealous or anything. He simply needed Bura to - to not tell other people what happened plus…she was clearly intoxicated and the other guy was taking advantages of it. He would not forgive himself if he let that happen.

It had  _absolutely_  nothing to do with jealous.

He hurried to wrap his fingers around Bura's wrist, taking her by surprise. How drunk was she that she never even noticed his presence?

She turned her head in his direction, clearly ready to rip his head off…until she recognized him. Then, her eyes became cold. "What are you doing here?"

"You're coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, trying to tug herself free. Where in the fuck did he come from? And what did it matter what she was doing and who she was doing it with? He did not like her, he was stuck with her. "Run along home, like the good little boy you are," she slurred.

"You heard the lady," the guy said as he rose to his feet, clearly trying to intimidate Goten. As if that was going to work.

"This is none of your business, stay out of it," Goten warned. He was angry, angrier than usual and he was in no mood to deal with that asshole. Why did she have to make this so awfully difficult? Could she not listen for once in her life? He tugged on her arm again, this time a little stronger. Since she was a bit weaker than him and drunk, she stumbled forward, close to his body. "Let's go."

"I don't wanna go with you."

"I don't care."

" _Man,_  let her go."

This time, Goten felt something snap inside of him. He kept his hold on Bura's wrist steady but he approached the other man. They were almost the same height but he knew for a fact they did not have the same strength. He tilted his head backwards, lifting his chin up. "Back off. This is none of your business."

"The lady wants you to leave her alone, so it's my business."

"I know her, I'm taking her home," he said, feeling his rage flash through his eyes. He was not going to hurt her; he was simply trying to take her away from a bad situation. Why was everything standing in his way? Why did it have to be so goddamn fucking difficult? His head was spinning and his chest rose high with each breathe he took. He was not used to being this angry, he normally never felt this way, not even during a fight. It was like his whole body was in overdrive and all he wanted to do was smash the guy's head through the wall. It was taking a lot of self control not to do so.

"She doesn't wanna go."

His toes twitched and he snapped. Before anyone could see anything, he wrapped his entire hand around the man's throat, clutching his fingers around. He squeezed, and squeezed, until the guy started wheezing, clearly fighting for air. None of that made Goten release him, he simply stopped squeezing around his air pipes.

"I said  _fuck off_ ," he repeated, his voice low and dangerous. The guy tried to push him away, banging against Goten's chest but it did absolutely nothing; he could not even feel it. Instead, fury took hold of his hold body, his brain, and it was the only thing controlling him and everything he did. He waited a few more seconds, until the man abandoned and quit hitting his chest. Once he was sure he gave up, he used his grip on him to toss him away. He landed on a nearby table, breaking it with his weight.

Goten turned his attention back to Bura who was had stopped trying to fight him. He was holding her so tightly that it left marks on her skin; it was clear that she was not escaping him this way.

"You're coming with me?"

"Why?" she asked, condescending. "I don't have to go anywhere with you."

"Because you opened your mouth."

"Awe, are you sad because you think she won't let you fuck her again? Trust me, she's gonna forget about us and reel you back in when she needs ya," she said, slumping over to the right. "She'll always call ya back."

"It's not about that, B.," he replied, exasperated. "People can't know about this."

"Yeah, yeah I'm shameful."

"You're  _underage_ ," he said, whispering the last part so that people around him did not hear.

This time, she had no witty comeback and he was grateful.

"Now, please come with me," he asked in a much nicer voice.

"I'm gonna go home," she said, though this time she followed him as he walked out of the club.

Once they were outside, he felt like he could breathe much easier. He finally let go of her wrist, knowing it would not be as bad if she ran away now. He simply did not want her to go home with a strange man. Was that so wrong of him? Although, he had to admit, now that his head was clear, he realized that his reaction was less than appropriate. He was not one to usually use violence meaninglessly like this. Already, the guilt was settling in and he wondered why he let his wrath get him that far. Fortunately, his feeling of guilt were not over; his eyes roamed over her arm and he saw the marks he left behind.

Quickly, he frowned. "Are you okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Now you care."

'I was just trying to help you."

"I didn't  _need_  help."

"That guy was going to take advantage of you."

"And you didn't?"

The words surprised them both.

"I wanna go home."

"B, no. We- we have to talk."

Was that how she felt? Every time they spoke, she expressed how unhappy she was with the situation but she never used words like that. He never tried to take advantage of her. If he could have controlled himself during those nights, he would have never touched her. He knew all of this was wrong, he knew it affected her more than she let on but she always refused to talk to him! How was he supposed to know? Her words took him to a new low. He was a piece of shit. Despite whatever his instincts screamed at him, he should have resisted, her should have protected her from himself. He was an asshole.

"No, we don't," she said, feeling the tears sting at her eyes. She did not mean to say that. He was making her feel bad; he looked so fucking sad with his little lost puppy eyes.  _Fuck_. "You just-  _that shit with your mom_."

"I know, it wasn't fair of me."

"No it wasn't," she said, running her fingers through her sweaty hair. Since when did she sweat so much while dancing? And why did her head feel like that? It was like everything was spinning around her.

"B - I never meant to take advantage of you. I - and I just - I was trying to help and… I know it's not your fault but if people find out I could be in a lot of trouble."

She glanced away. "I know." She was not even that young. She was almost legal, what was the big deal? Plus, they were not fully human, they did not think the same way and they certainly did not develop at the same pace. Human rules should not apply to them. She might be furious with him but she did not want something bad to happen to him. She closed the distance between them, pressing her flat palms against his chest. "I won't say - that…again."

"I know."

Now that his rage died down, he looked sad, always avoiding her gaze. She wanted to touch him, comfort him and take the pain away but she was not allowed. Although her warm, pulsing body was trying to convince her that she should. She licked her lips, tasting the remnants of her sweet drink, and tilted her head to the left.

"Why d'ya do it?"

"I told you. I didn't trust the guy."

She shook her head. "Not that." She danced with many guys but none of them lite up a spark in her chest. It was flat, it was just skin against skin with no sparkle. "Why d'ya kiss me like that?"

"I didn't mean to."

"There was no moon."

What was her point? What was she trying to say? Nothing about them was right and though he was more than willing to be honorable about it did not mean it was easy to do. He should not be kissing her, he should not be touching her and it was not just because of her age. It was their situation, it was who she was. Bura was always forbidden, she was family, she was supposed to be like a little sister. He was not meant to lay a hand on her. Plus, it was not like they had affinities or that they would make it as a couple. They were different people who wanted different things. She still had her whole life ahead of her. Or used to at least…

"B, what do you want me to say?"

"Nothing," she replied in a quiet breathe.

There was nothing to say because he would never say what she wanted to hear. Except, she was tired of feeling like shit, she was tired of being the only one who actually felt something. She wished he had been jealous, she wished he actually wanted her but it did not and he never would and it was pissing her off. She wanted him punish for it, she wanted to hate him for not returning her feelings…but then she realized how selfish that was. He was not forced to love her. She did not choose to love him, it just happened. The same could not be said for him. It was shitty, it was the worst feeling in the world but there was not a thing she could do about it.

They slept together - twice, they mated and yet none of it was enough.

If there was no feelings now, there never would be.

And yet, as he stood in front of her, lips moist, hair out of place, the alcohol in her body was telling her to do one thing and one thing only. She moved her hands up, gliding across his sturdy chest and she gripped her fingers around the hem of his shirt. He froze, clearly unsure of what she was doing. It did not stop her. She tugged gently, bending him down and forward as to close the distance between their faces. She stopped for a beat when his lips were near hers. She thought he was going to stop her and he certainly looked the part, especially when panic formed in his eyes…but… he did not pull away.

She used her liquid courage to push her lips against his, her body desperate to feel that fire again. And she did. The moment their lips were connected, the sparkles went off in her stomach and it was like at her house all over again. She did not even realize it when his arms gripped her arms or when her own tongue swiped over his lips. He tasted musky, with a hint of pinewood and it sent shivers down her spine. His hands left a trail of fire behind and she bathed in the feeling. She approached her body from his, her breasts squishing against his chest.

Mere moments later, he was pulling away from her.

He did not yank away, he did not remove himself forcefully. Instead, he was panting while he rested his head against the side of hers. "You have to go home," he whispered.

Her heart shattered all over again. He felt it, she knew he felt it - but he did not want it.

She tore herself from him without looking into his eyes and she began walking away. She felt a weak attempt at stopping her but he did not try any harder than that. He let her go.

His eyes stared ahead, shame filling him. He should not have liked it, he should not want more than what he had. He should have torn himself away the moment she touched his lips but he stayed. He was fucked up, there was something wrong with him. He was  _ill_.

Meanwhile, from not too far, Paris stood, her lips parted and an expression of shock taking hold of her eyes. The little whore was not lying; they were together. They were  _fucking_. Was he serious? He dumped her for that little bitch?

That would not be the end of the story.

She would make sure they would both pay for humiliating her.

-M-


	10. The Game

"Feeling stupid yet?"

A loud groan slipped past her lips as she struggled to open her eyes. Her lashes fluttered as she finally managed to slide them open. That was her first mistake. As soon as the light hit her eyes, she shut them closed. She rapidly grabbed her silky white pillow and covered her face with it. So bright. The throbbing of her head was also quite difficult to ignore. She felt like utter shit. Although she did not need to see to know who's voice it was. Only her annoying older brother was this condescending and only he would get pleasure from her suffering. Most of all what the fuck was her doing in her room as fucking early in the morning?

"What do you want?"

She heard him chuckle, his voice light and full of laughter. "I wanted to see if you were still alive."

At first, he was worried. He did not like the way she looked when she headed out. He was fairly certain she was going to get herself in trouble. Plus, he was afraid she would not come home. When he heard her get in last night, he was relieved. Although he knew she was completely wasted since she stumbled around the place and he heard her punch a few things. Whatever happened - it was not good. Somehow he already knew it had something to do with Goten but he was almost afraid to ask. The less he knew, the better it was. Unless Goten hurt her - then the whole thing would become a lot more confusing.

"What are you talking about?" she inquired as she finally let the pillow slide off her face. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light. Then, she slapped a hand to her face, dragging her skin down. When was the last time alcohol messed her up like this? She usually managed to keep pretty good control.

"It's four in the afternoon."

"WHAT?"

She scrambled in her bed, nearly sliding off her smooth white sheets, as she tried to grab her pink cellphone from her bedside table. She was nearly on the floor by the time she managed to grasp it. Her brother was not lying; it was 3:58pm. Holy fuck. She did not drink enough to be this tired! This was all fucking Goten's fault.

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun last night."

"Can you please not?"

She let her phone dropped to the ground before she ran her fingers through her greasy blue strands. She remembered exactly what she did last night. She got into a competition with Paris and she used all that she had to win. Goten was right; it was a mistake. She should have never told that snake. Hopefully Paris would write her off as delusional. It did bother her that she had to remain a hidden little secret but she knew it had to be that way. He had a lot more to lose than she did. And Paris was one fucking crazy bitch. She messed up bad last night. Although that was not the worst thing she did.

No, kissing Goten was.

"Why are you blushing?"

"Do you have to know everything?"

"Yes."

She was not going to tell him about last night. He figured out that much. It irked him. Again, why did it have to be Goten out of all people?

"Look, nothing happened. I went out, I got drunk and I came home. I'm here aren't I?"

"Did you see him?"

"Him?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about."

She rolled her eyes. "No." What was she going to tell him? Yes, Goten came to drag me out of the club in the middle of the night. Oh and since her relationship is not messed up enough, I kissed him. But you know, that's more normal than him telling his mom we're a couple. None of it was good enough.

"Mom is downstairs. She wants to see you."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he said as he offered her a shrug of the shoulders.

Everyone was lying to him, nothing was as it seemed and his whole life was getting tangled. He wanted to be okay with this since he could not change it but he found it harder and harder every day. Then again, what else was he supposed to do? Goten was in his life from the beginning and Bura was his little sister? He was always going to feel weird about this but he could not cut either of them out of his life.

Bura sighed as she watched her brother purple mane of hair disappeared and she threw herself back in her bed. She regressed last night but she also made progress. Goten kissed her back. He told her to go home but he did not actually say no we should not do this, which was usually his favorite phrase in the entire world. Although she did not even know how she felt about that development. Did she not say he did not deserve her and he would never get her? He crushed her completely, disregarding her feelings and her ego. Why should he ever have the satisfaction of winning?

Then again, who was she kidding?

How the fuck could she stay away from him?

Unable to find an answer to her current predicament, Bura slid her legs off the bed in an attempt to get up. She apparently had another problem to deal with; her mother. Although she could not figure out what her mother's problem might be. She barely took the time to put her hair up in a ponytail that she was running down the stairs. It was not until she was at the edge of the kitchen that she realized she probably should have changed; she was still wearing the previous night's clothes. That might not help her case. Oh well, it was too late now. Plus, her head was throbbing and she simply wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Morning," Bura said as she headed straight for the coffee machine.

"Late night?" her mother asked without raising her glance from the newspaper she was reading.

"Not really."

"Are you sure?"

Bura posed, her blue mug carefully tucked in her hand. Oh boy. "Well, you know. It wasn't that bad." She knew better than to keep lying to when caught in a lie. Her mother was the smartest woman in the world for a reason.

"Did you do anything interesting?"

"Not really."

"Nothing at all relating to Goten?"

Bura sucked a breathe in and everything around her froze. For the first time since the beginning of the conversation, her mother put the newspaper down. Blue met blue and Bura immediately knew she was in big trouble. She kept holding her breathe, waiting for her mother to expand further upon the matter. Whatever it was, it was not good. Although, no matter how much her brain scrambled for an answer, she could not see what bad thing Goten and her did last night. There was a kiss but surely even her mother knew they did worse than that. They were mated were they not?

"Do you know what I did this morning?"

Bura shook her head.

Instead of giving a verbal answer, Bulma grabbed her newspaper from the eggshell colored table and headed in direction of Bura. Once she was near her, she tossed it upon the beige counter and waited.

Bura peered over, afraid of what she was going to see. And oh boy was she right to be scared. The Goten Son and Bura Briefs wedding-to-be. Get all the details. The - oh for fuck's sake.

"Now, I know Chichi would never do this. She might have bought the whole charade but she would never, ever put her son in that position. So tell me Bura," she began as she crossed her arms over her chest. "How did the media learn about this?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I mean there isn't even a picture of the two of you. So clearly they didn't catch you two doing something."

Paris. That stupid whore.

It had to be her. She was the only one who knew anything about this - except their families of course. That little tramp opened her mouth and now Bura was getting shit for it. Alright, so maybe she should not have gloated but - it truly was not her fault. Paris simply knew how to push her buttons and she knew where to hit to make it hurt. Although, Bura was sure that the stupid brunette did not believe her. What would make her go to the journals? It did not add up. There was something she was missing.

"I- I don't know."

Bulma's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me young lady."

"I- I honestly don't know."

Bulma slammed the newspaper down. "You're lucky I bought every single copies."

"You did?"

"We don't need this scandal."

And that was saying a lot. Her mother never cared about what the people wrote about her or the family. After all, her father attracted a lot of bizarre attention over the years. Bulma did not share but she did not stop the press. She could not care less about their opinions. They slandered her father more than once, especially when there was no picture of him at the time of Trunks' birth. It never bothered her mother. Why was this any different? Did she think it would impact the company badly? Was she ashamed of all this - just as everyone else was? Shame. Shame everywhere.

"Bura, this is not about me. It's about you. And Goten."

Bulma dealt with a lot in the past and it did not affect her. For a long time, she was a single mom - at least in the world's eyes. They called her tramp, whore and many other distasteful moniker. It never bothered her. However, this was a bigger issue. She was not certain her daughter could handle all of this. Things between her and Goten were shaky and she was not emotionally stable yet. She did not need to be followed around. Most of all, they needed to minimize the repercussions for Goten. She was underage. If the word got out, there might be intense consequences for him. She was sure her daughter did not want that to happen.

"He could get in a lot of trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

"I know this is not pleasant for you, but it's here and it's not going away."

"Don't you think I know that? I'm the one who's in this mess."

"And we're all here for you, Bura."

They were not. She knew things were different ever since they learned the truth. Her brother was not the same, her father was conflicted and her mother - she was doing what she could with what she had. Nobody was happy about it, least of all her and Goten. Sometimes she simply wanted to bury her head in the sand and pretend none of it was happening. Of course, that would do nothing for the ache in her chest or the swell of her heart. She was doomed to love him forever. Oh and doomed to remember the feel of his willing lips against hers. How was she going to forget about that kiss?

"Can I go back to bed now?"

Bulma sighed, clearly running out of ideas to help her. "Sure." Bulma grabbed the newspaper from the counter and slid it in the trashcan where it belonged.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Then, she ran back up to her bedroom. Once she reached her room, she grabbed the handle and then violently slammed her door shut; hopefully that would keep everyone away for a while. Trunks, now her mother… they did not need to babysit her and constantly check up on her. She could make her own fucking decisions. Although last night was not her smartest idea, it did not turn out all that bad - except for the Paris' part of course. She finally let some steam out and she kissed Goten. She wondered how he was going to weasel his way out of this one. He could not blame it on anything this time.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating of her cellphone. She arched a blue eyebrow, tilted her head to the side, her bangs covering her eyes. Who was texting her this early in the morning? She reached for it, and quickly glanced at her screen. Goten. Her heart skipped a beat and she nearly allowed her phone to escape the clutches of her hands. She shook her strands of blue hair and inhaled deeply, her chest rising. She slid her phone open with her finger and then waited for the text message to appear. Did you make it home okay?

What. He was checking up on her now?

He tried to be the one to take her home but she never let him - she walked away. If he could not be with her then he had no business worrying about her. She agreed to go home but she said she would do it on her own. He did not quite appreciate it but since she agreed to leave he did not argue much. Regardless, it was none of his business if she made it home or not. Perhaps if none of this was a charade, he would have the right to know about her whereabouts. For now, he could butt out. She angrily tossed her phone away and dropped back on her bed, her arms stretched out and her blue hair fawning around her head.

Fuck her life.

-M-

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Seriously. She was seventeen years old. It was impossible that she did not look at her phone at least once in the last four hours. Ugh and did he really need to remind himself of her age? Was that necessary? He groaned as he stared one more time at his cellphone. If he turned the screen on one more time, he might just kill his phone. He wasted his entire battery waiting for her to reply. And she never did. He could have called - or show up but that would not solve any of their issues. To top it all, he was not sure how to face her. He let the kiss happen. He did not push her away… he simply pulled away after a moment.

He let the kiss go on and worst of all? It was nice.

And it should not be nice and he was a terrible human being.

She was drunk - she probably never meant to do it. She was still mad at him for cornering her into a fake relationship for his mother's sake. He was such a coward that he let her leave. She was drunk and upset and he let her leave. Usually he would not have dared to text her and he would have kept any time of contact to the minimum but… he just wanted to make sure she was alright. Of course, nothing bad could happen to her - she was a half saiyan and yet… he simply wanted to know. Unfortunately for him, she was dead set on leaving him in the dark. They had managed to do some progress and he screwed it all up.

He was about to lean back into his couch when suddenly there was a knock on his door. For a second, his heart quit beating but he rapidly realized that it was not Bura; he would have sensed her. His dark eyebrows were burrowed as he hopped to his bare feet and headed for the door. He was still wearing his blue pyjamas pants with a simple white t-shirt; he was not exactly dressed to receive company. He grabbed the door's handle and twisted it open. Who he found on the other side was the last person he expected; Paris. She wore her signature yellow dress along with a pair of black high heels. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and she looked quite displeased.

"I never pegged you for a sell out."

"Paris?"

"Don't Paris me," she said as she pushed him aside. She invited herself in his apartment and began glancing around. "Where is she?"

"What are you talking about?" he inquired, still holding the door open.

"Your little whore."

"Paris, I already told you -"

"You fucking liar. I saw YOU KISSING HER LAST NIGHT!"

His blood froze and his jaw when slacked while his brain scrambled for an answer.

"What you can't come up with any more lies? Well you were never really smart."

"Look, it's not what it looks like."

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "I know what I saw. And I was going to make sure everyone knew about this wonderful relationship but your girlfriend took care of it."

His eyes narrowed. "Paris, what did you do?"

"It doesn't matter. She took care of it. But let me tell you, this isn't the end. You can't do this to me."

"Paris, you're insane. We're not even together anymore."

"I know you were fucking her when we got back together."

He held his breathe, trying to hide the fact that his eyes widened against his will. "What are you talking about?"

She scoffed. "She told me everything." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her smirk proud. At least it seemed that the communication between the two of them was not perfect. The more flaws they were, the easier they would fall. "That time I came over and the door was broken…"

He frowned. Nothing about between Bura and him that time… just what the hell had she been telling Paris? Drunk Bura was definitively bad; she kept running her mouth to the wrong person.

"I don't know what she told you but nothing happened."

"Oh yeah, okay just like you didn't kiss her last night right?"

Goten sighed in defeat; he could not deal with all of her crazy right now. As a matter of fact he was beginning to wonder how in the world he dealt with it for so long. Paris was poison and she infected his life for way too long. Perhaps this whole ordeal was a blessing in disguise. Although, she looked like a girl with a bone to pick and he feared that might be a horrific thing for him and Bura. There was no lie he could tell her, no make up truth that would make it all go away. She saw them kiss and now he was completely screwed. The best thing he could do was try to calm her down.

Before she made a mistake she could not take back.

"Paris, look. Let's talk about this."

"Oh there isn't anything for us to talk about." She squared her shoulders as though she was trying to make herself look imposing. "We're through, that much is clear. I am done with you."

Was she…breaking up with him even though they were not dating? Alright, he supposed he could give her that one. Anything to get her to shut up. His fingers were itching at his sides and he was dying to let some of his pent up rage out. Of course, it was not like he could spar with his best friend. No because his best friend was acting weird as fuck around him. Which was totally Goten's fault but it did not change the fact that the whole situation sucked.

"And there is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. You and your little whore will pay."

"Paris."

"Nobody humiliates me like this."

She snubbed him, raising her chin up high in the air and then she walked past him. She let her shoulder bump into his on her way out, her brown locks bouncing along her collarbones. He watched her go, his forehead filled with wrinkles as worries filled his chest. If he knew one thing about Paris it was that she hardly went bak on her word and she had one hell of a drive. She never used to be so bitter. She always was somewhat simple minded, gullible, but she used to have a sweet, kind and charming side. It was why he fell for her in the first place. Unfortunately after mistrust, break ups… she changed.

They changed.

They spent way too much time fixing something that could not be fixed.

Somehow, they grew up in different people who were not looking for the same things. When he first got with her, it was a lucky break; she finally did not have a boyfriend. He should have seen it right away but he was mesmerized by her. Another mistake he could add to his long list of failures. Could he not do anything right? He sighed before pressing his back to the nearest wall. He then let himself slide all the way down, his fingers tangled in his hair. He knew Paris was determined and he feared what she might do. Actually, he wondered what she did already. She mentioned Bura earlier.

He was going to have to talk to her wasn't he?

-M-

Knock. Knock.

"I already told you I wanted to be alone."

Knock. Knock.

Bura tilted her head backwards, her blue locks brushing up against her lower back. She sighed in aggravation and then tossed her tablet off of her lap. Honestly, this was a huge house; they did all have to gather around her and bother her? Surely there was something else they could do. Her feet loudly landed on the floor and she stomped all the way to the door. She swung the door opened, ready to turn her mother around except Bulma was not who she found on the other side. It was Goten. And he did not even give her a chance to ask him what in the world he was doing there.

No, instead, he pushed her inside and shut the door closed.

"What did you do?"

She took a defensive stance and glared at him. "What is your problem?"

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Paris came to my house."

She ignored the ping of jealousy. That bitch truly was not going to let him go was she? Even after everything that happened, she hung on to him like he was hers. Well, he was not.

"So?"

"She said you took care of something."

She tried to hold back the smirk tugging at her lips. Apparently, she thought she was pretty smart. As though she could pull off one over her, Bura Briefs. Granted, her mother was the one that took care of the problem but that was beside the point.

"She tried to do a publicity stunt."

"What?"

"Don't worry, my mom bought all the newspapers."

"For Kami's sake," he said as he ran his fingers through his bangs. He did not think she would go this far this quickly. That girl was messed up in more ways than one.

"Now, are you gonna shove me again or can you get out and leave me alone?" If he thought she was about to forget the rude way he greeted her, he had another thing coming. Wasn't he the one who sweetly texted her earlier? But now he had the guts to accuse her again.

His eyes narrowed. "Paris is not going to let this go."

"Too bad for her." Bura crossed her arms in front of her chest, her breasts lifted to the top, creating a cleavage. "Now get out."

"B."

"Get out. I've had enough of you thinking you have some kind of authority over me. You yelled at me yesterday, you yell at me today."

"Because you make stupid decisions."

"Really? How about we examine who makes the worst decisions here?"

There was something about her that infuriated him. His heart was racing, he could feel the vein in his neck pulsing and his self control was slipping away. Sometimes, she drove him to madness, forcing a rage inside his chest. Other times, he could hardly control himself, a foreign desire pulsing through him. Ever since he sank his teeth in her neck, he was out of control. He did not know how to be around her, how to talk to her. Her presence was enough to screw him up. There was a slight shake of his upper arms as his eyes met hers. Those blue orbs - full of challenge and defiance.

And he took the bait.

Bura did not have a chance to exhale the air filling her lungs that he took hold of her. His long fingers wrapped around her wrists, squeezing them enough to numb them, and he used his sturdy chest and raw strength to smack her back against the nearest wall. Red petal lips parted, blue orbs widened and for a second her stoic mask fell. He squeezed his digits around her wrists, keeping them pinned above her head, her body trapped between his and the cold wall. Adrenaline spiked through his blood while he was deafened by the sound of his own heart beating hard enough to break through his chest.

"Stop acting like this."

She tugged on her arms, attempting to break herself free, but her tries were useless. She might be strong but he was better. "Acting like what?"

"How do you want me to forget how young you are when you keep acting like a spoiled child?"

"I'm not a spoiled child." He touched, he felt her - he kissed her back. How could he even let himself think of her as a child. She was far from that. She was an adult, one who could make decisions for herself.

"Yes you are," he spat back. "You taunt Paris, you throw a tantrum every time you don't get your way." She was Bura Briefs and nobody could deny her a thing. Even he could not. He kissed her, he gave in. Why did he even give in? "You're not always like this, B." He remembered a kinder girl, one who was determined but - not like this.

Tears burned at her eyes, begging to be released but she held them back. He was making a fool out of her. It was impossible that he did not know her heart raced around him or that her blood heated up from a touch of his hand. It was hard to keep her usual strong headed mind when he was everything she wanted but could not have. Even now that she was his, he was not hers. She tried her hardest but it was never enough. He said it; she was a child. He would never shed that old, out dated thought of her. Her body was not enough, she was not enough. And it killed her because she was Bura. And if there was one thing she learned while growing up, it was that she was enough - she was more than enough.

"Because you're toying with me."

Her words hit him like a slap and he remained stunned. For a brief moment, his hold on her wrists loosened. "What?"

"You touched me and then you said I was a child. And then you forced me to play that little charade with your mom. And then you kissed me…" She was weak - she could not let him see that side. "I'm not a toy. You can find something else to play with." She tugged again but despited the loosened hold, she could not free herself. "I toyed with you. I only told Paris because I was bored."

She did not care who had him. She did not want him anymore. He was not worth it, he was not worth her pride. She was more than this and she was not about to let him take it all away. The shred of self esteem she was hung by a thread, ready to snap. She never knew one person could do so much damage. It used to be a crush, she used to observe him from a far while she was nothing but a child. She was not even certain she could pin point the exact moment he became everything. Was it before or after she became a slave to the moonlight? Could she back to a time when her heart was not ripped to shreds?

Could she could go back to being prideful and unstoppable?

Because right now, with his hands holding her captive, she felt breakable.

She never felt breakable in her life. She was the definition of strong and strength and yet he shattered her with a mere whisper of a word. She hated him for it - or at least she wanted to hate him.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. "Why are you so difficult?" He asked that question but the one he wanted to ask was why he could not stay away. He did not really have to come. And she was right, he did not have to yell at her. The whole situation was much easier if he hated her. He could not feel anything else for her. Brotherly love was out of the question. Real love was not even on the list. Hating her seemed like the easiest solution - but he was never able to do that. So instead, he yelled. He let out all the pent up rage he could not get rid of, the one constantly swirling inside of him.

It was there, the wretched bond, tugging at him, making his life miserable when he was away from her. Except, being close to her also tore him to pieces. What was the answer?

"I'm not difficult, you're an asshole."

His skin was clammy against hers; was he nervous? She held her breathe while his warm puff of air tickled her flesh. He was close, so close. His sturdy chest was squishing hers, her breasts threatening to break free from their constraints. If she tilted her pelvis forward, she would be completely touching him, melting her body against his. She would not be the one to cave in; she did enough of that already.

He lowered his head even more, his nose brushing up against hers. It was time to leave. He had to leave. He came in for answers and he got them. The illness that plagued him the previous night was there, hanging over his head. He remembered the taste of her lips, he remembered how screwed up he was for liking it. He had the out he wanted; she was mad at him. The madder she was, the more she would hate him. Wasn't that perfect? Of course, it could also be just as stupid as his plan to pretend they were a couple - all for his mother's sake. They were bound to each other - forever, according to her father.

How was he going to keep away from her forever? How was he going to make her hate him for all of time?

"B. I don't know how to do this." As he spoke, his lips left a lingering presence on hers. They were so close he could almost taste them.

"Do what?" she snapped.

He did not know how to deal with a torn heart. The bond, the moon, it demanded that he felt her. His mind was not so sure it was all that good or ethical. He did not even know what to feel for her. It was destroying him inside out, driving him to insanity. Which decision was the right one?

"All of this."

There it was, the confusion, the one she could play with. She was always a woman on a mission, one with an ego. He might have almost destroyed it but - she was Bura Briefs. If there was an opening, she should take it. Except, this was not about making him love her. No, she was still too bitter about the rejection. This was about leaving him wanting - she wanted him to experience what he did to her time and time again. Yes, she wanted him to feel that ache in his chest, the one that threatened to take apart everything he was. Perhaps then, he would understand. He was not phased by this, he was not broken by it - simply bothered.

She would take it to the next level.

Bura leaned her chest forward, tilting her head to the right. Her cheek brushed up against his, her lips teasing him, hovering over the flesh of his neck. Her breasts were fully pressed into him, her back arched as she leaned into his touch. "What is all of this," she whispered, her breathe tickling his skin.

"B."

He was shaking, his hands releasing her wrists. Immediately her arms dropped to her sides and his palms stayed pressed against the wall. It was best if his hands were far away from her and her body. "I can't do this." If he closed his eyes, he would think back to the previous night, he would think about her lips. He was the worst human being. He should not let these kind of thoughts in his mind. It was wrong, he was wrong.

Her tiny hands wrapped around his biceps, squeezing the muscles. Her lips closed the distance, her head cradling in his neck. His body tensed, his jaw flexed under the pressure. He was not going to move, he was not going to touch her. His hands were to remain on that wall. Because this was wrong. Except Bura had something else in mind. She left trails of fake kisses along his skin before tilting her head backwards. "I know." Her voice was different, as though she was trying to be re-assuring.

His fingers were crisp and his whole body was rigid. She was close - too close. But she was not angry anymore and that was messing with his head. She should be pushing him away, yelling at him and she was doing none of that. He did not like it. He felt like he was about to burn up in flames. He had to go before he got himself in even more trouble - if that was even possible. "B…"

"I know," she repeated.

And it snapped.

His hands left the wall and before he could even breathe, he was touching her. Fingers trailed down the side of her body, hugging her hips. Everything was fire as he felt the fabric slip through his fingertips. Her head tilted backwards, exposing her fragile neck to him, his mark still visible despite the many weeks that passed. His mark. The mark that showed he made her his - the one that was a mistake. He inhaled deeply, letting her sweet, honey scent fill his nostrils. It was hypnotizing, it was his downfall. He dared to taste something else than her lips. His mouth moved against her neck, peppering kisses along her throat, feeling as she swallowed. Her whole body dipped backward but he held her close.

Bura could feel her body burning up and she could already see how her plan could easily backfire. She was addicted to him and he was giving her the fill she so desperately needed. A moan was dying to emerge from deep inside her throat but she held it back; she would not give him that satisfaction. His fingers pressed into her flesh, bringing her a pleasurable pain. She let her nails scratch at him through the cotton fabric of his shirt and it made him growl against her. Already she could feel the panic flashing through him and she knew she did not have much time left.

She arched her back, shoving plump breasts into his line of sight. He took the bait, lowering himself until his soft lips were brushing up against the top part of her mounds. His hands rose higher, lingering on her rib cage, never daring to be indecent. His ministrations forced her shirt down, exposing more of herself. He was right there, ready to taste her.

"You're right," she said in a throaty whisper.

"Huh?" His mind was a daze of confusion.

"This shouldn't happen." Her voice changed, her tone colder. She took advantage of his confusion and slipped away from his hold. As she walked away from him, she could hear the panting of his voice, the silent scream coming from inside of his body. Every inch of him was screaming for release, screaming for another touch but she did not let him have the last word.

He always pulled away, he always denied her what she craved most. This time, it was his turn.

Hollowness formed in the pit of her stomach, as though she too was being punished by this, but she ignored it.

Freeing herself from him would take time.

-M-


	11. Tricky

" _What?"_

Her father met her stare but he did not utter a word. Instead, he kept on chewing his breakfast, his onyx eyes boring into her cerulean orbs. His large fingers were wrapped around his metal fork, the tip of it resting upon his white cream plate. He annoyed her when he did that. Why did he have to stare at her instead of speaking like a normal person? She sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump down which made the sleeves of her blue shirt fall unto the crease of her elbows. Her annoyance grew, vibrating through her aura, but it did not unsealed his tightly shut lips.

She let her fork drop upon her plate, clinking as it did so. "What?"

He offered her a small shrug.

"Then why are you staring at me?"

"You know exactly why," he replied while planting his fork in his slice of ham.

"No, I don't."

" _The boy_."

She knew who that was. Why, why did everyone always want to talk about Goten? Could they not see that she was sick and tired of talking about him? Did her whole life really have to revolve around him? It was bad enough that they were bound to each other, did he have to invade every fucking aspect of her life? She managed to finally leave  _him_  speechless and in need. She needed to keep track of her goal and free herself from him. Her life was much better without him in it and she deserved so much more than what he had to offer. All he gave her was guilt and obligation. No love, no desire.

Sure, he kissed her. Sure, he wanted her.

But did any of that truly come from him? How was she to know it did not come from the fucking bond? The stupid moon?

"What about him?"

"You can't free yourself from this."

"Yeah, you've said that," her eyes narrowed, "like a million times."

"But you keep trying."

He usually observed from afar and he liked to keep himself out of such situations. However, she was his daughter. Nobody noticed but he did; she was destroying herself. Whatever she was doing, she was destructing herself from inside. He wished she had no feeling for the idiot's spawn. He had hoped that idiot would not feel anything for his daughter. However, he rarely got what he wanted. His daughter wanted the fool and the fool wanted her back - even if he was not willing to admit it yet. That was mostly due to his earthling heritage. He saw the situation as wrong. If he were raised on Vegetasei, such mindset would not exist and this whole damn thing would be solved.

Of course, if Vegetasei existed, his daughter would have never mated a third class warrior.

"I'll fix it."

"You won't."

She loudly slammed her hand down the wooden table, forcing it to wobble under the pressure. "Do you have anything useful to add to the conversation?"

He smirked. She certainly had her mother's temper. "You could be using the bond."

"What?"

"You two are linked. Use it to make him suffer." His daughter was not calm, she was not kind; she got what she wanted and revenge was what she sought. He could not kill the boy for what he did to her. He could not break this mating bond but there could be a way to make him pay without hurting his daughter. He knew that idiot wounded Bura's pride. It was the reason he beat him to a pulp when he first learned of this. Perhaps it was time his daughter got some of her pride back. It was not as though she was going to abandon her plans of revenge any time soon. That might help the process along a bit.

She did not want to be intrigued, she did not want to ask, but she did regardless. "How?"

He smirked, his eyes glimmering. "He feels what you feel."

She frowned. "I never felt his emotions before."

"That's because neither of you were trying. You have to  _feel_  the bond."

She rarely saw her father be so vocal about a situation. Clearly the cause was the hint of darkness that always lurked behind his eyes. It was there, deep inside. She knew some of his past - what her mother would allow her to learn, and she knew it was not all butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes, she saw a glimpse of the man he used to be.

"How do I feel the bond?"

"Close your eyes and concentrate on it."

"But what kind of things?"

He infuriated her to a point that she was fairly certain  _everyone_  could feel her anger. That would not make the situation any better and it would not help her get the revenge she desperately sought.

Her father did not reply. Instead he grabbed his plate, the edge clinging against the table, and he rose to his feet. He disappeared without saying a word while she remained there, mouth gaping. How could he only give her half of an answer? She narrowed her eyes but she already knew the truth; if her father stopped there, she was not going to get another word out of him. Often, she got her way with him but she knew which battles she could win and which she would lose.  _Well,_  she was her mother's daughter - she was a genius. She should technically be able to figure out how to make him pay right?  _He feels what you feel_. Those were her father's words.

Anger was scratched off the list.

Pain was not even considered.

_… Lust?_

Hm, perhaps it was the reason why her father left without saying her word. It was not as though he would actually tell her to make Goten suffer by torturing him sexually. She cringed; yeah that was probably the reason. Then again, she would not have wanted to have that conversation with him. She shivered in disgust before rising to her feet.  _She was going to do it._ She was going to make him pay for treating her like dirt and toying with her feelings.  _Though_  she had to be sure the situation was optimal. Sure, torturing him while he was alone at home sounded fun - but doing it in a very public place sounded even  _funner_. An evil smirk drew upon her lips and she snatched her phone from her back pocket.

 _Hey. Where are you_?

It was Goten. He probably would not think much of it right? Granted she left him  _wanting_  the last time they see each other but… all the more reason for him to reply to her. He would want to have one of those talks he was so fond of lately. On cue, her phone  _dinged_  and her smile grew in size.

_Hey. Hm, at my mom's why?_

She snickered to herself and shoved it back in her pocket. It was all she needed to know to make him suffer. And he did not need to know her reasons. Plus, it allowed her to remain a bit mysterious. She was to have the upper hand now - not him.

Bura barely cast a glance in direction of her father as she bolted upstairs.  _Her mother was working, her brother was working and - her father was going to leave her alone_. She did not have to worry about interruptions and she was going to go all out. Although the thought of it was a bit embarrassing. Hopefully it would work. What if she did all this but was unable to properly connect to the bond? Then it would all be for nothing. And how would she know if it worked? She doubted Goten was going to share that little incident with her.  _Crap_. Maybe she should have tried asking her dad a bit more questions than what she asked.

Too late now.

No way she could face him and ask questions knowing what she was about to do.

She inhaled deeply, giving herself courage and then she locked herself in her bedroom. Her heart raced as she headed in direction of her bed. She was  _no virgin_  - which was clearly obvious given the mark on her neck but it was not as though she often did  _that kind of thing_. Despite the fact that she was alone in her bedroom, her cheeks were bright red. She snuck under her blankets, trying to chase away the feeling of shame that overwhelmed her. She gripped the edge of her pink comforter and pulled it until it covered her chest. She closed her eyes, her body sprawled out in the bed, melting with the soft mattress. Bura tried to follow her father's advice and attempted to connect with the bond - however the hell one did that.

Bura let her thoughts wonder and she found herself picturing Goten in her mind. That had to be a good start right? She imagined his spiky, out of control hair, his wide grin, his strong muscular chest, his large hands that sent shiver down her spine every time they caressed her body… and that was going somewhere way too fast. Okay, no she had to start this all over again. Thinking about him could not be the way to fix this. It had to be something else. She re-focused her attention and tried to focus on the mark that was left on her neck. It was where he bit her, where he made her his forever, consequences be damned.

She squeezed her eyes shut forceful trying to find something - anything that might give her indications… and then  _ping_. She felt it - the surge, the burning sensation coming from her neck. It was there. It was like a ki - but not really. It did not belong to a person, it was  _inside_  of her. She clamped her hand over it as if she was going to lose it and inhaled deeply. Alright, she needed to focus on that pulse of energy and everything should work out just fine.  _She could do this_. At least nobody was there to see  _her_ embarrassment. She wished she could see his face - or rather his family's face when all of it went done.  _Oh well_. It would still be fun.

 _Meanwhile_ , on the other side of the city, deep inside the woods, Goten was sitting down for breakfast with his mother and his brother Gohan. His father was off training somewhere - and Goten was dying to join him. Unfortunately, he did not escape his mother's clutches and frankly it was best if he remained in her good graces. Things were a bit tense since his relationship to Bura was announced and he did not want to make the whole situation worse. Of course, each time he lied to his mother, it killed him a little inside. What else was he supposed to do? Announce that he was a bigger fuck up than everyone thought? He could not do that.

Especially not with his perfect brother standing so close.

Oh and that was another fun story altogether; his brother was not happy about the whole Bura thing. Something about her being almost the same age as Pan angered Gohan. Not that he could blame him - he felt the same way.

"So, Goten, how's Bura?" Chichi asked as she took another bite of her pancakes.

"Yeah, Goten, how's Bura? Enjoying - what is it… high school?"

Goten cleared his throat, trying to lessen the atmosphere. "She's great, mom." He turned his head to look at his brother. "She's actually done with university."

She was her mother's daughter and inherited her genius. At least she was not hanging in a high school. That did make the whole process a bit easier. He could not imagine himself going to meet her up at her high school. Actually, he should not even be meeting up with her.  _Well_ , they both accepted the fact that it could not be a reality. They needed to see each other or they became miserable.

"Yes, that most make her so mature."

Goten's eyes narrowed. " _Listen_  -" He wanted to tell his brother the whole truth, explain to him that he had no choice but that would contradict the story he told his mother. He said he loved her, that he was going to wait for her but the overwhelming feeling of the bond gave them no choice. If he said he was not the least bit interested in her prior to that night… he could not.

"Yeah, the full moon. I heard it. Doesn't change the fact that you were  _interested_ in her." His brother could be somewhat of a knuckle head but he was always a good kid with a pure heart. This went against everything he was supposed to believe in. Although he was not appreciative of the full moon situation, he knew it made things difficult. He experienced it himself with Videl - although until Vegeta explained it to him a few days ago, he did not know it was that - and he felt his own restraints pulling away. Still, it did not explain why his brother wanted to date Bura, way before the full moon even came was a  _child_ , mere years older than Pan.

"It's complicated."

" _That's enough_ ," Chichi said as she slammed down her fork. "Your brother is with Bura now and that's just the way things are." Honestly, she knew the girl was a bit young but - she herself fell in love at such a young age… sometimes, situations were complicated and it could not be helped. At least it was serious and committed relationship and Goten intended to do the right thing by Bura. At this point it was the best he could do.

"Doesn't mean it's right," Gohan argued.

"Yeah well, we'll see how you feel in a couple of years when it happens to Pan." He was so sick of his brother judging him. He might deserve it but he already judged himself enough. Everything in his head was chaos.

"It won't happen to her."

"Oh why? You think you're a more protective father than  _Vegeta_?"

That shut up Gohan immediately. It was hard to be more distrusful than Vegeta and he kept a careful watch on his daughter. He never let her go on dates, he did not let her kiss a boy. Then this happened - despite his best efforts. It meant nothing.

Gohan leaned back into his chair, his fork gripped tightly in his hand. His brother had a point - Vegeta was as protective as they got. And now he feared for his daughter - although the only person who could even have an interest in his daughter was …  _Trunks_. He was going to have to watch Pan and make sure Trunks did not get anywhere near his daughter. He did not want this for her, especially not at such a young age. Bura and Goten were stuck together - forever. Nothing was going to break their bond or they would have broken it by now. Unless… he did not know. He knew his brother said he had feelings for Bura but Gohan could not think they were that intense…or they would have noticed it… no?

Goten let a smirk form on his face at his small victory.

"If you two don't behave, you're going to go home without training." She hated that there was such discord in her house. They were brothers, it should not be that way.

Goten leaned into his chair and kept his lips tightly shut. He managed to shut up his brother and he did not intend on pushing it any further. It would be bad. His mother was irritated enough as it was and frankly he did not want to have her bad mood directed towards him. Gohan could take all the crap for once. Though he doubted his mother would scream at him. He was about to dive back into his delicious breakfast when suddenly, a wave of heat traveled through his body. He froze in mid movement, his charcoal orbs widening.  _What_. His breathing rate accelerated and a slight tremble plagued his left hand. A single drop of sweat traveled the back of his neck, al the way to the bottom of his back.

What was happening?

He tried to keep a straight face as he finally shoved a bite of pancake in his mouth. He chewed with difficult, almost grinding his teeth. He was wound tight, a pressure upon his chest.

"Goten, are you alright?"

He met his mother's eyes briefly, offering her a nod.

Then the worst happened. He felt the blood rush downwards, provoking an erection in his jeans. His eyes bulged, and he could no longer keep his straight face.

"Honey, you're flushed. Are you sure you're okay?"

 _His mother needed to stop talking_. She needed to stop with the questions. His face turned read, the heat traveling to his whole body. It hurt, it was actually painful. He was so hard that his pants were too constricting. It pulsed every now and then, forcing him to bite back a moan. He wanted to focus on boring things - or even simply the fact that he was sitting at dinner with his  _mother_  but nothing worked. He could not even focus his thoughts long enough. Instead, all he thought of was  _her_. Memories began to flood his mind and he was powerless to chase them away.  _No, no_ , not now, not now, he begged. Anytime but now.

_He could hear her pant under him and he could feel her fidget under his touch. It was already too much to bear and the more he rammed into her, the harder she clenched around him. He dug his finger in her skin, once again probably marking her porcelain flesh. It didn't matter though; nobody would see it because nobody would have her like this except him. She was his possession, his drug._

_A loud moan escaped her pouting lips and he knew it was time._

_"Come for me, Princess," he ordered._

Oh god, no, no. He sat up rapidly and then, before anyone could notice what is actually problem was, he sped to the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and made sure to look it before bending over the sink. He turned on the water and rapidly splashed his face, hoping to bring himself back to his senses. The sensation in his pants was unbearable; he had never been this hard in his entire life. It was so sensitive that he was certain that if he touched it, he would come. How was that even possible? It could not be blame on the full moon; it was morning for crying out loud. Why, why was he plagued by the memories of their hazy first time?

_She threw her head back and grabbed his hair forcefully at the feeling. At this point, she was beginning to pant and her body was begging to be taken. Why did he insist on teasing her like this? She licked her lips in anticipation while gently grinding her hips. His every touch was sending her into heaven and her body throbbed each time he laid a hand on her._

_A smirk appeared on Goten's face as he gently inserted one digit inside her dripping womanhood. Once he felt how tight she was around his finger, he immediately made the deduction that she was a virgin._

Suddenly he stopped throwing water in his face and instead tilted his head backwards. A groan was torn from his throat and one of his hands traveled to his pants. He cupped himself through the fabric, desperate to relieve some of the tension.

 _Knock. Knock_. "Goten? You alright?"

Oh for fuck's sake would his mother ever leave him alone?

 _"_ I'm fine."

"Go-"

"I SAID I'M FINE." He did not mean to yell, he truly did not but it slipped him. He was wind up, his fingers crisped, his heart racing. Could she not take a hint?

"Young man, we're going to have a discussion as soon as you come out of that bathroom."

He banged his fist against the counter before crumpling to the ground, his hand still on his covered erection. Tears of frustration pooled in his eyes and he grind his teeth together, begging for the sweet release. He could not take this, he could not do this. Already he was teased by his last encounter with Bura…he could not hold back much longer.  _He gave up_. He unzipped his pants and then shoved a hand down his boxers. He wrapped his fingers around his erection and began pumping his hand around his cock. Everything around him melted and his thoughts were focused on Bura. Her long legs wrapped around him, her tiny hands squeezing his biceps, her lips stretched while she  _-_

He came.

Heat pulsed through him and his release exploded upon his hand and the counter in front of him. He was left there panting, half sitting, half laying, with his hand still around his penis.

What in the world happened?

-M-

The TV offered a small flicker in the dark room as Bura cozied up to her blanket, her eyes locked on her screen. After a rather eventful morning, she spent the rest of the day pampering herself; after all, she needed - and deserved it. When the night rolled in, she settled for a movie and some popcorn. She could have used the huge screen downstairs but her brother was home and frankly she was not convinced that she could see look anyone in the eyes at the moment. It was best if she stayed locked in her own bedroom for the night. The thought of it made her cheeks turn a bright red. She shook her head and re-focused on her sappy love movie.

What a load of crap.

And yet she could not help but watch it.

She snuck a hand out of her blanket and grabbed a handful of popcorn. She proceeded to shoving it in her mouth when suddenly her cellphone pinged and lite up. She frowned, not expecting anyone to talk to her. She finished chewing her popcorn and retrieved her cellphone. She slid it open, only to see it was a text message from Goten. Good thing she finished eating or she might have choked on her food. She opened it while her heart raced; did he know, did he figure it out? How could he? It was not as though her father would have shared that bit of knowledge with him. She calmed herself before reading the text message.

_Open the door._

The door?

Her eyes snapped to her glass balcony door and she froze. There, behind the pink curtains she could see a dark figure. He was at her house? Oh no, that was not the plan, not the plan. It was supposed to be a sweet revenge that would leave him far away from her for a while. She needed enough time to chase him out of her mind and remind herself that he was no good for her. He certainly was not supposed to show up after she got herself all worked up while thinking about him. Panic shook her core and she jumped to her feet. It was too late now; he texted her, he was here. He knew she was in her bedroom - all alone.

She put on her best straight face, so that he would not know her panic, and walked to the balcony. She slid the glass door open, waiting for his reveal. He stepped in front of her, a haze in his eyes.

"Can I come in?" his voice was low, like a whisper caressing her skin.

"We'll you're already here," she snapped.

He froze and she saw that despite his forthcoming attitude, he actually was not going to come in without her approval. She sighed and moved out of the way to let him in. She should have sent him the other way but she could not. She was too curious to know why he came to her so rapidly.

Once he was inside she went behind him and closed the door before turning around. She furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms in front of her chest, a hip cocked to the side. "Well?"

He tried to look at her but he could not meet her eyes. How could he? He had a hard on about her at breakfast -  _in front of his mother_. It took him over an hour before he calmed down and even then, his nightmare was not over; his mother yelled at him for a while he was forbidden from sparring with his brother or father for a very long time. And now that Trunks was on the hot and cold with him, he was not going to be able to let any steam out. This whole ordeal was about to kill him. He was not going to make it. Also, to be honest, he was not sure what he was doing in her bedroom. It was perhaps the worst idea he ever had.

Did he want to know if she was plagued by the same embarrassing situation as he was or did he come because his body was on fire, demanding  _more_?

"I- something happened today," he began as he took as step back.

Bura kept her straight face on and said nothing.  _So it did work_.

"I - did anything weird happen to you today?" It was faint and she could not see it because of the darkness of her bedroom but he was blushing.

"Something weird? Like what?" Again, she had the power and she intended on making him squirm.

He scratched the back of his head. "Unusual?"

"I didn't ask for a synonym. I asked for an exemple."

"I don't know just something out of the ordinary."

She tapped her chin with her index, pretending to think. "No. Everything's normal.  _Why_? Did something happen to you?" There was snark in her words and a narrowing of her eyes. Oh yeah, he truly was at his mother's house when it happened. She could not have asked for anything better than that. It was  _fantastic_.

There was a darkness in her voice that he did not recognize. Almost as if she expected what he said - but how could she? "No- no."

"Then why do you ask? If you're just planning on wasting my time, you can go," she said as she gestured to the door.

No, she definitively had nothing to do with all this. And she was right; he was only wasting her time, he had no reason to be here. "Alright."

She blinked slowly, baffled by his answer; did he agree with her? He was just going to leave because she told him to? That was rather disappointing; she did not expect him to give in so easily. He was supposed to be a bit more riled up than that. She teased him the other day, then she forced him to - yeah. He should be - not like this. Her revenge was not sweet at all; it was disappointing.

"Then go."

He nodded and then began to walk past her. His shoulder brushed up against hers and he stopped. Every nerve ending in his body was jolting, reacting to the touch. What happened earlier sent him in an overdrive, it forced him to lose all control and it was a new experience. It also gave him flashes of that night, the one that was so hazy, the one that happened though neither of them knew why or how. He was supposed to walk out, he was supposed to leave this place and leave her be because it was the right thing to do. Except - except it hurts in his chest. The thought of pulling away tugged at his heart string and it made his body shake.

 _Walk away_ , he told himself.

But he did not. Instead, he grabbed her wrist.

She froze and held her breathe. "Goten?"

He tugged at it and then collided her chest with his. "I don't wanna do this. It shouldn't be like this. It's so wrong that it kills me."

"Gote-"

"It's hard B. There's all these things I'm supposed to do, all these things I'm supposed to feel and now I don't know which one is right." She was supposed to be like a little sister. She was supposed to never be a woman. He should not feel anything for her, he should not want her. Was that what he was supposed to feel? Or what he felt sometimes was due to the moon or the bond? He did not know how he could ever trust himself again.

She wanted to be mean, she wanted to hate him but she recognized the sadness in his eyes; she saw it in her own two eyes in the past. Sometimes she wondered if she loved him as much as she did because she actually loved him - or it was the moon's fault. She wanted it to be all because of a spell, a witching tradition that forced her to feel that way. It was easier than to be a sick puppy in love with someone who would never look at her twice. And she did not know why he refused to see her as a woman - it hurt, it truly did.

"I don't know, Goten. I don't know either."

It was not the same thing, the same inner conflict but it plagued her life.

"I know I hurt you." He swallowed. "But - I  _this isn't right._ "

There it was the same old excuse. "Then why are you here? Why are you holding me back?"

Because if he released her, she might slip away. But those were not the words he said out loud. "I - I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know what I need. I'm going crazy."

The thought of this morning was enough to send some blood rushing down and it brought back a semi-erection. He cursed himself, hoping it would not worsen - it was the last thing he needed at the moment. And it made no sense that he would feel this way. Ever since he came to see her there was a deep sadness lodging itself in his heart. And beneath that, there was a desire to take revenge - but what would he possibly want to take revenge on? Nothing happened to him. Yes, the unfairness of the moon but there was nothing he could do about that. Why were his own feelings so confusing and impossible to handle?

"Why'd you come here Goten?"

"I told you, I wan-"

"Cut the crap," she said as she snatched her hand away. However, she did not distant her body from his.

"I don't know. I wanted to see you."

Those little words made her heart soar and confused her, disarming her from any comeback she might have had in store.  _She never thought he would admit something like that_. Now, she felt guilty. She was so bent on revenge that nothing else mattered. Her mind was clouded by the anger and the need to detach herself from him. Had she been fooling herself this entire time? Could it be that she actually could not move on from him? Every time she took a step back, he pulled her back in. What was she supposed to do?

"I'm sorry," he finally admitted. "Listen, I'll go before I make this worse."

This time, he was true to his word. He actually took a step in direction of the door. The only problem was; this time she could not let him go. She reached out for his hand, grabbing his fingers with her two hands. He stopped as soon as he felt the tugged and turned to look at her.

"I'm watching a movie. Wanna watch?"

It was a movie. They used to do it in the past - although it was never romantic comedy but he could deal with it.

He waited, pondering the issue. Then he nodded. However, he did not move. She had to tug on his hand and carry him to the bed with her. She lifted her blankets and laid down under. He went around the bed and joined her but he never went under the blankets. Instead, he laid on top of it.  _It was safer that way_. Still, he could feel her body near his and his heartbeat picked up. It was a bad idea altogether and yet, since the beginning of this whole mess, it was the first time he felt at peace. They were not bickering, they were not  _having sex under some weird influences_. For a second, it felt like having his B-chan back. And he missed it.

He did used to get along well with her. It was a simple friendship. Someone who was like him, who understood him. She was half-saiyan, she knew the struggles, she knew… all of it. No secret, no restraint. It used to be so simple.

If only there was a way to get it back.

-M-


	12. Giving In

"This is awkward."

Her tone was filled with sarcasm as she raised her glance to look at the people around her. Her mother was softening the dough with her hands with her brother's help. Meanwhile, Goten was filling the pies with fruits along side his own mother. Chichi came up with the great idea of  _bonding_  time. She did not know Bura very well and she wanted them to get closer now that they were going to be family. Chichi was a good mother, the leader of the household and that meant her idea of spending time together included  _cooking_. Unfortunately, Bulma had no skills whatsoever when it came down to cooking which forced Chichi to take the lead.

Trunks did not want to join in but Bulma made him to do it after Chichi requested it. They were supposed to do this  _together_. Goku and Vegeta did not join; they were sparring outside. They felt it was better to keep them away and nobody argued with their choice of activity. That left them all together like a happy family. Except they were not. Hence the awkwardness; nobody was speaking. Not only that, but there were underlying grudges as to what brought them together. Specifically Goten's lie that him and Bura were madly in love. It did not please everyone.

Goten and her barely got back on good term. They managed to get through the movie together and then, he returned to his own apartment. She did not see much of him since he did not come around like he used to in the past. Trunks and Goten had not gotten back their real friendship yet and an awkward silence was always present between the two of them. Like  _now_.

" _Bura_ ," Bulma chastised.

The situation was difficult and everyone was doing the best they could. Although she did not have all the details of what transpired between Goten and Bura, she knew enough to assume it was not easy between the two of them. They were forced into this situation - all of them. This was it and now they had to deal with the consequences of the actions. She certainly did not need her daughter making it more difficult. She had a bad attitude lately and something needed to be done about that. Chichi, who usually had quite the temper, was being very welcoming of the situation. Couldn't Bura make an effort as well?

"Nobody's talking," she pointed out as she rolled the dough between her fingers.  _Baking_. When was the last time she baked? She was not a baker.

She yelled at him, she broke down and told him he was toying with her. He saw what it did to her but it did not stop him. Nope, because he put her in that situation again. All with those fucking lies, the fucking facade. The  _fake_ playing house game they had going on.

"Why don't you and your boyfriend talk?" Trunks said, never glancing at her.

 _Alright_  even she heard the sarcasm in his voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

" _Okay_ , everyone takes a deep breathe," Bulma warned. She would not deal with her children fighting with each other while they had company over.

Trunks rolled his eyes but he kept his mouth shut. He did not understand why he had to be here for this. This was not about him, it was about them. He had more important things to do than baking with his  _friend_  and his  _friend_ 's mother. As a matter of fact, it was his first time seeing Goten in a long time. He tried a few times but they quickly ran out of things to say and all he could think about was that his best friend was sleeping with his little sister. It was neither of their fault but it did not make it any easier. He was supposed to be okay with it. They hung out like before, they - they were not good. How were they supposed to be good?

"Goten, stop looking so unhappy," Chichi said as she glared at her son. She might not be able to say anything about anyone's else expression but she could do something about her own son.

"Mom, I'm fine."

This was not what he planned. This was not what he had in mind when his mother dragged him over. Actually, he was not even sure  _what_  he had in mind but it was not this awkward mess. Bura and him had managed to get on common grounds right? Why did she look so terrible? She was ready to snap everyone's neck. Trunks' bad mood was not helping anyone. Perhaps Bura's bad mood was due to the fact that  _his_  mother thought they were madly in love. She expressed how displeased she was with that little lie. And how she did not want to go along with it. He knew it was stupid but it was a bit too late to fix it all now was it not?

And now she did not think he was a complete failure. But Bura hated him.

When would he get out of this mess?

"So, Bura, honey. You should come and have dinner at the house."

Right. Because Goten and her were so in love. She should be having dinner at her in-laws' house. It would almost be too weird not to do it. "Oh, Chichi, it's not necessary."

"I insist. We're going to be family -  _we already are_ ," she corrected herself. This time, her smile wavered a bit and lost some of its honesty.

Oh. Was she not happy about them? She expressed her joy when they announced it and though Bura had a bit of an attitude today, Chichi had been nothing but nice to her.

"I guess we are," Bura said as her eyes met Goten's. She did not think Chichi saw mating as a real bond - although it was a permanent one that would could not break. Marriage was something more sacred to her. And Goten almost promised her that they would get married somewhere along the way. She wanted to let go of the rage seeping inside of her. They managed to make progress, they managed to mend things between them - to a certain degree. It was no time to be talking steps backwards and yet -  _this hanging out_  time, reminded her of everything that pissed her off in the first place. The lies, the pity he took on her. The horrible position he put her in and the fact that he would never be interested in her.

It turned her into a green eyed monster filled with rage.

"Mom, we don't have to have dinner together," Goten said as he noticed the flux in her ki.  _She was mad_.

"No, Goten. You're mother is right. We should spend time together -  _we are a couple_."

Oh yeah, the movie? It was long gone. They were not on good terms and she was still pissed at him.  _Fuck_. Moments like these reminded him that she was young; she was throwing a tantrum. Not that he did not deserve it… but still. It was his lie and he was going to pay for it forever it seemed.

" _Great_. How about this weekend?"

Chichi stared between Goten and Bura, an unsettling feeling in her chest. The first time they announced the news she was shocked but at least, they appeared happy together. Now, they were not even beside each other and they were not talking. Did they have a fight? Did they break up already? She was under the impression that the mating was permanent. They could not break up. She put a smile on her face but this time, it was a harder task.

"All done," Bura said as she put down the dough.

And then, she wiped her hands clean and offered everyone a smile.

 _She needed to get out_. She wanted fresh air, she wanted all of this to be over. It was her punishment; she tortured Goten and now she was stuck with all of them and this  _lie_. It was suffocating and she wanted no part of it. She glanced at her mother and then  _she left_. Nobody said anything but she could feel that they were all watching her. She turned the corner and headed into the first room she came across; the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and pressed her back to it before letting herself slide to the floor. Was she turning crazy? Why was she so mad? They were fine during their movie night. It was pleasant and they were civil with each other. That was enough for now. But today? Today she could not stand the sight of him. That was normal right? His lie was pushed back in her face and her loss was rubbed in her face. She was a sour loser.

She smacked her forehead and groaned. She was a fucking idiot.

She promised she would be strong and better than this. He was supposed to be suffering, not her. She should be taking this opportunity for that golden chance it was; she had to make  _him_  feel uncomfortable. Yes, she would turn it around and make sure  _he_  did not like it. She took a deep breathe and re-gained herself control before making it back to her feet. She wrapped her fingers around the doorknob and swung it open.

And there he was.

Staring at her, his hands at his sides.

And he came in. He pushed her out of the way, and closed the door behind them. "What did I do?"

"What?"

"Why are you so mad?"

She scoffed. "You did not just ask me that."

He threw his hands in the air, giving up. "Yes, I did. We were fine and now…" He knew,  _he_   _knew_ , but he did not want to know.

"I don't know. Why don't you toss an answer out there? You're got at making up good ideas."

"So it is about my mother."

"Ding, ding, ding," she said sarcastically. "You can have  _actual_  good ideas then?"

"Listen, I can't take that back. I told you that already. And  _I asked you_. I told you I messed up."

"What else was I supposed to say?"

He sighed resisting the urge to crisp his hands into fists. He could not do this anymore. He did not have the patience to put himself through this. One day she was cold, the other she was blackmailing him and then she was fine. What exactly did she want from him? Because apart from a few mistakes he made, he tried to do whatever she wanted. He said he would marry her. Whatever it took to make it right, he was willing to do it. Why did she make it so impossible? It was difficult for him as well but they did not have many choices in the matter. They had to make the best out of it. And this was the best. Apart, it would be hard but - together…it might make it easier.

"You drive me completely insane," he admitted.

She frowned and then raised her fist to punch him on the arm. "What the fuck was that for?"

"I DRIVE YOU INSANE? I?"

"YES,  _you_. You just you're one way one day and then, another way the next day. Either you don't want to see me or you do."

"I don't want to see you! I didn't want to be mated to you! But here we are. We already figured out that we were going insane without the other. This is our only option. We can't do anything else."

"Then why are you being such a bitch?"

And she lost it. Before she could even control her hand, she  _slapped_  him. Her hand burned his flesh, his neck twisted and his head turned completely. The redness spread, the tingle getting worse and worse. She went to retract her hand but he did not let her. His fingers wrapped around her wrist, tugging hard enough that even she could not free herself. Her eyes narrowed and she kept on pulling, enough that his fingers were burning her skin. He did not let go.

"I haven't done anything." His jaw was clenched, the words coming out of his mouth with great difficulty.

"You've done everything." He broke her heart, he used her and he disregarded her feelings. It was not her fault that he was too stupid to notice everything he did to her. She should not have to pay for his stupidness. It was not her fault.

"Like what?"

"I already told you." Did he forget all about her big blow out?

 _Was he actually stupid or was he trying to piss her off_? Her eyes narrowed and she forcefully pushed him away from her with her free hand. If he did not want to understand, if he could not see that this was eating her alive, then she did not want to see him - she could not even stand to look at him. And that was when he tugged her forward. Her chest collided against his, their noses brushing up together. As he exhaled, the rage obvious in his eyes, she felt his warm breathe puff against her lips. Who did he think he was, keeping her locked in here with him? If she wanted to leave, she should be able to do so.  _Did he not ruin enough for her?_

"Let go."

"Or what?"

She kept on tugging and tugging but all it did was bring her closer to his chest. "Why are you so frustrating?"

"I'm frustrating? Have you seen yourself?"

"I haven't done anything! And I didn't play with you!"

Again. It was the second time she told him he played with her. Was he?

 _One way to get out of this_. She could use what he hated most to get out of this; her. She took advantage of their closeness to press her lips to his. As expected, he remained stunned and she could feel his grip slightly loosen. A few more seconds and she would be able to slip away. She needed to focus on her escape and nothing else; not the feel of his lips, not the warmth of his body. She would never let herself get distracted by those ever again.  _Focus girl_. Seconds ticked away and finally the soft touch of his fingers slid down her arm, releasing her from him.  _It was now or never_. She tore her lips from him and tried to speed away.  _But he caught her_.

She was slammed against the wall, his hands on her hips and his lips back on hers. This time, she was the one surprised by his action. Her eyes remained wide open while his lips worked against hers. He nibbled on her bottom lip, his hands squeezing hard so tight, it was as if he was afraid she was going to escape. Which was her intention. And yet she did not move. She let his fingers sink into her flesh, probably leaving marks behind, and arched her back as he sucked her lip between his.  _No, no, no_. Her heart began to race and panic fled through her mind.  _This was what they needed to avoid_. And why was he kissing her? He hated her, he hated this.

He did not want to sleep with her. She was like a sister to him and she was too young. All of his excuses and words sped through her mind, reminding her of the pain she felt earlier on.

 _What_  - his tongue invaded her mind, twirling around her tongue, forcing a puddle of warmth in the depth of her core. His hands; she missed them. They raced alongside her ribs, tickling her, sending spirals of joy through her heart.  _Push him_ , it was what she was meant to do but her body did not listen. It craved him, the taste of him and his scent swirling inside of her head. She clutched his shoulders, trying to hurt him, but the way her nails dug into the flesh only seem to increase his need for her. His tongue traveled in her mouth, tangling with hers, while she tilted her head backward. His lips finally traveled off of hers and then he began to pepper kisses down the length of the throat.

Oh no, oh no.

She inched her head back more, giving him better access. Her legs wrapped themselves around him all on their own, pressing their cores together. She did not want to but  _oh god_ , her whole body was on fire. She wanted it all, she wanted to feel his naked flesh against hers, his hands on her, his  _thick, large er-_

"Are you two -" And then there was a shriek. "Oh my god!"

This time, they both pulled away and turned their heads to the left only to see Chichi looking at them with horror on her face. Her hands were trembling in front of her, the heat rising to her face.

"Mom -"

"Oh do not mom me," she said as she took loud steps forward. She grabbed his ear with her fingers and tugged on it.  _It did not hurt_  but he was terrified enough to play along with it. He completely let go of Bura, who almost fell upon the floor but she caught herself on time. Chichi began to drag him out and tossed him in the hall. "What are you two doing?"

He  _knew_  this was not ideal but his mother knew about their relationship - she even saw them kiss and she had no problem with it. Why was this any different? Although, he had to admit he was more than glad she interrupted them. What the fuck was he thinking? First she pissed him off, and then he just wanted her to stop -  _and she kissed him_. And he kissed back. He thought he could not make the situation any worse but he did. He screwed things up further between them and he managed to piss off his mother.

"You might be mated but you're not  _married_." She knew  _something_  happened between them. It was not the best situation but as everyone explained it to her, they did not really have a choice in the matter. Now, they were not influenced by their saiyan blood and they did not have any excuses for their reckless actions. She was happy for them and though the Briefs sometimes made questionable decisions, they were smart and rich. They knew them since forever.  _But this was corruption._

"Do not seduce him like this!"

Bura's eyes widened. She seduced him? It was his fault! He was the one who prevented her from leaving and smashed her back into a wall! She only tried to escape him.

"This isn't right, you're still young and…"

She thought they were in love, there was kissing - but not this. She did want to be a grandmother again, she could not wait. But not from Bura - at least not yet. No, this was wrong and they had to wait before they resumed those kind of activities. She could not let them do this.

"Goten, you're bringing me home."

Before Goten had a chance to say goodbye, Chichi was dragging him out. She was weaker than him but he never got over his fear of his mother. So he listened. And he figured it was best; he clearly could not be trusted with his mother. Despite the progress they made during the previous night, it was all gone. All wasted because of a fucking kiss. Why was it so hard to keep himself off of her? It was Bura! And why in the world did she kiss him in the first place? She made herself clear; she was displeased with him.

Why the fuck was this so confusing?

-M-

"Now are you going to tell me what that was about?"

"What do you mean?"

Bulma rolled her eyes as she entered her daughter's bedroom. "Goten was here not that long ago. It seemed fine. Then today you were acting like a bitch."

That was her mother good and  _bad_  side; she was not afraid to speak the truth.

"It's complicated."

"I think I'm smart enough to understand," Bulma defended as she sat down on the edge of her daughter's bed. "I know you talk to your father about it but…"

She did not know when it became less awkward to talk about it with her dad rather than her mother. Perhaps it was all about the moon's influence. "I didn't want this."

Bulma sighed. "I know, honey."

"I mean I wanted this, but I didn't want it this way. He doesn't  _want_  me mom. He's just stuck with me. He  _toys_ with me like I mean nothing." Frustrated she let herself drop on her bed while closing her eyes. He kissed her. She left him wanting. He even got jealous and yet -  _it was all a game_. "I can't win. I thought I'd be fine. I thought things we're fine." And then it was thrown back in her face. The fake couple routine, the whole in-law situation.

But Chichi would never be her mother-in-law because Goten would never truly want her.

"Self-pity doesn't look good on you."

"Excuse me?"

"You're a Briefs. You're Vegeta's daughter." She sighed as she moved her hand and gently rubbed her daughter's leg, trying to comfort her before laying out the truth. "You want him, go get him."

There were so many things wrong with what she was saying but it had to be said. This unusual situation was not going away and they were bonded forever. She could not stand seeing her daughter so miserable. Goten and her already did the unthinkable. At this point, more or less hardly made a difference. On top of that, Bulma understood more than her daughter knew. Granted, she did not have any saiyan blood but that did not mean she was ignoring about their cultures. Over the years she gathered as much intel as she could from her husband. She even compiled it in her computer, making a little bit of a saiyan history and culture book.

"You know I've been on the receiving end of your father's moon influence."

" _Mom_." Could she bleach her ears? Because she heard enough of her parents' sex-capades without having a detailed re-telling of them.

Bulma could not help the laugh that bubbled from her throat. Vegeta and her were never shy about their sex life; age was not a hurdle for them. "All I'm saying is I know a little bit about it."

"Like what?"

"You'll end up doing it again."

"I doubt that."

"So nothing happened today?" She narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "I saw you.  _Something_  happened."

"I kissed him -  _well_  he kissed me. I was just trying to get out of there." It was the only reason she did it. She promised herself she would not get into that mess again. Alright, she broke that rule over and over again. But this time - after she let herself cry in front of him…she knew she would not.

"And?"

"And Chichi barged in and he left."

"Are you happy he left?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Mom, I told you. He doesn't like me that way." She tried and tried. But it did not work.

"He must have  _I mean_  he kissed you."

"Because - I don't know." He kissed her many times. Apparently none of them meant anything. He wanted Bura the little sister back. Not Bura the woman.

Bulma sighed. Her daughter was a genius but sometimes she was like her father; her desire to win blinded her and prevented her from seeing the truth that laid in front of her. It was sometimes the reason why her husband lost; he wanted to win and did not see the bigger picture. She tried not to make that mistake and she would teach her daughter not to as well.

"What kind of man is Goten?"

"What do you mean?"

"What did Chichi raise him to be?"

"A good person."

"Right," Bulma said as she inched herself closer to her daughter. "So, wouldn't that mean that he would do the right thing. All the time. Without thinking about it?"

She shrugged. "I guess. Yeah."

"Then could it be that he thought he was not allowed to have you? So why ever think about being with you? His mind automatically associated you with  _sister_  or untouchable and he never thought passed it." Goten was smart, not as much as Gohan but he remained brighter than his father. Still, he was Goku's son and sometimes…they were a bit slow. Especially when it came to women. "Maybe if he had been allowed to think about you that way… he might have been interested."

Bulma refused to think that there were no underlying feelings somewhere in there. If Goten was plagued by the moon's effect, he had to feel something for Bura, no matter how small. He simply never let himself feel it. Now, he had no other choice and it was probably tearing him apart, destroying everything he was. There was a spark, a piece of hope that her daughter could work with to achieve her goal. A win was still possible. And frankly, mating was a very serious matter. Her daughter would not find happiness if Goten and her did not manage to work it out. The best they could do was  _try_  any way they could. Even if that meant going about it in a sexual manner.

"Trust me, he'd never like me in a million years," she replied bitter.

She wanted her mother to be right. If she had some hope, something that helped her hold on…she might have a shot. But she did not want to venture down that road again. Her pride could only take so much and she refused to be the one begging him.  _He_  had to be the one begging for her, desiring a piece of her attention. She wanted him to suffer like he had before, she wanted him to be left wanting again.

"Bura, I know saiyan men."

"Goten is -"

"He was raised differently. You won't get through to him by talking to him. You won't get through to him by  _yelling_  at him." She was not only an expert when it came to saiyan, she was also quite knowledgeable when it came to Sons. Yelling did not get you that far. "You're gonna have to show him that you're right some other way."

"By sleeping with him?"

"He kissed you didn't he?"

She had no logical explanation for what he did - which only made her want her mother's words to be true. Was it why he was  _toying_  with her? Sending hints all over the place? "I don't wanna do it again."

"Come on, you have more pride than that. How much can he crush it?"

A lot. But she would not admit that out loud. She never let herself be vulnerable but she let it happen with him - over and over again. It was wrong and she should get a hold of herself. She promised she would not fall again and yet she kept falling over and over again. "You think you're right?"

"I wouldn't be talking about it with you if I wasn't." She took no pleasure in her daughter's sadness. After everything that took place, she knew there was a truth to her words. He had to feel something for Bura but he was too ashamed to admit it. He needed to drop the desperate, guilty act.

"I'm not gonna come on to him." It was too direct and it always spooked him off. She needed a more subtle approach…but what?  _Oh_. She could use that handy little trick her father taught her? She initially used it for revenge but maybe she could recycle it and give it a new purpose? Surely she could drive him off the edge and he would have no choice but to seek her out. Yes, she would torture him until he went mad, then he would come to her and…he would make the move. She controlled this, she could keep herself under control. But he would have no say in the whole thing. She had nothing else to do but torture him until he begged.

A smile formed on her lips and for the first time there was hope. She threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her. Bulma was startled at first but then she smiled brightly. She knew there was a way to lift her daughter's spirit. Nobody had tried her way yet, that was all.  _Take that Vegeta_. Her husband and her did not truly discuss this whole situation but they did not need to. If there was something he had to say, he would. And if she had a problem she would let him know. They talked through gestures, yelling and sex. They were not about to sit down and have a lengthy conversation about this.

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?"

"I'm really grateful for your help, but I need you to go."

Bulma pulled away with one blue eyebrow arched. "What?"

"I know how to fix my problem. But you can't be in here."

There was one thing her father did not tell her mother and she imagined he used it to his advantage from time to time. She would not be the one to spill the secret - and she never ever wanted to think about that again.

Bulma was not absolutely convinced but Bura looked like she had her pep back and she had no desire to mess with that. She could probably handle remaining in the dark a bit longer. For her daughter's sake.

"Alright.  _But if there's anything_."

"I'll come to you."

"Which you should have done in the first place."

"I know, I'm sorry."

Bulma's lips stretched upwards and she nodded. "Alright, well, be careful." Though she had no idea what she was about to do. She pulled herself from the bed and began heading towards the door.

"Close the door, please."  _She needed privacy_. And she was going to have to be quiet this time. Her brother  _and_  her father were home. Granted there was a bit of distance between their rooms but still. She did not want to make this any more awkward than it had to be. Her own brother had a hard time dealing with her and she did not need him to think about her and Goten together. It would put a damper on things.

"Good night."

"Good night mom."

 _It was going to be a good night_  - or at least an interesting one. Once Bura heard the door shut, she lowered herself until she was laying in her bed and she took a deep breathe. She might not have a lot of experience doing this but she had a feeling that very soon, she would become an expert at it. This time it would not be as embarrassing for him because she had a feeling he was home in his own bed. Although, perhaps that was for the best. He would not be trying to hide it and he might enjoy it. She  _needed_  him to like it. If he only associated her with guilt and shame it was never going to lead to anything.

They needed to turn it around.

From now on, any memories of her would be tied to lust and pleasure. Then, he would come to her. If she could not get through to him with feelings, she would do it through sex. She much preferred the other way around but that worked out. And from what she heard, it was how it happened for her parents and they were doing just fine.  _Now_. But they had a rocky beginning. Yes, her mother's speech did end up giving her the hope and drive she needed to get through this.

She inhaled and covered her body with her large comforter. She stretched out her fingers before she dared to lower them, gliding them across her stomach until she reached the hem of her pink, silky pyjama pants.

 _The fun was about to begin_.

-M-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I wanted to update for 2015... this sort of counts right?


	13. Tipping Point

His head was tossed back, his forearms quivering while they foolishly attempted to keep him steady and propped up. He barely dared to glance down at the delicious sight between his legs but when he did all he could see was her blue hair fawning around her as she bobbed up and down his hard cock. Her luscious red lips were wrapped around him, tightening, sucking him until his length was twitching. Every time she dragged her lips down it was as though she was wringing him from the inside. He wanted more and he wanted less. He did not know what he wanted. His breathing was harsh, in small breathes, as he kept his hands away from her.

If he touched her, he would push himself deep inside of her delicious mouth.

A shiver of pleasure twitched through him when her tiny hand wrapped around the base of his cock, squeezing him tight. She began pumping him, her hand torturously sliding up and down while her mouth worked the head of his cock. She popped her lips around him, and then, her tongue ventured out of her mouth to lap around it. She traced the length of him, teeth teasing to graze but never doing it. He clenched his jaw, trying to keep his slipping self-control in check. Then, as if all of that was not enough, the little mix put him back in her mouth, a smirk gracing her lips, and she sucked, her cheeks sinking in as she did so.

This was hell. Or heaven. He was not sure anymore. He knew one thing though; he was dead.

Suddenly, she took more and more of him in her mouth, the tip of his erection hitting the back of her throat. At that moment he knew, he lost it. He sat himself up and finally allowed his hands to have completely freedom. There was no more holding back. He roamed them through her aqua locks, tangling them around his fingers. He tugged softly, showing his desire through his actions, while she kept him in her mouth and then his entire body stiffened. Already he was pulsing in her mouth and she fucking knew it. He wanted to empty himself inside of her but she was killing him, teasing him with a slow speed that prevented him from reaching climax.

His hands cradled the back of her head and he finally reached his tipping point; he decided to control her speed. He pushed her head towards him, forcing himself deeper inside of her mouth. She never gagged. Instead, she prolonged his agony as she kept on taking more of him. His eyes rolled while he rapidly directed her head and forced her to increase her speed. The wetness of her mouth surrounded him, spilling out upon his thighs but he did not give a shit. Her hand kept on moving up and down, taking care of what her lips could not. As if her mouth was not enough. As if he could not coat the walls of her throat right this second.

She squeezed him, trapping him in her mouth and her movements became rougher while he groaned in pleasure. She lifted her free hand and rested it against his knee, squeezing it as a wetness spread between her legs; he could smell it. Then, she began to push back against the pressure he was applying against her head and slowed down her pace. She was taunting him, seeing how far she could push him before she broke. He tried to get her rhythm back but she was strong, something that often slipped his mind, and she managed to fight it back. His arms shook, his thighs clenched and he became desperate for his release.

"B-"

He was so close that he could not speak. If he let himself get distracted for a second it might all fall apart.

She managed to slip him out of her mouth and the cold air wrapped around his length which was more of a tease than anything else. Oh god, he was going to die. She could not stop now, not yet. He was so close, too close. He was willing to beg. But then, she began licked, nibbling and leaving trails of kisses along the edge of his cock. No, no. Not that. That was not it. This was torture, this was pulling him back when he was right there. Why was she doing this to him? But he could not stop her. The simple feel of her was enough to drive him insane. He felt like he had waited forever for this and that finally he was basking in her warmth.

His train of thoughts was interrupted when she put her delicious soft lips back around his cock. Again, she took as much of him as she could and then began sliding him in and out. The slow speed was gone. Now, everything became an unbearable numbness and he gripped at the sheets, finally releasing her blue locks from his hold. He let himself drop to the bed, his sweaty back gluing to the sheets. One more second, one more second and he would come undone in her mouth.

A rush of heat traveled through him, pulsing him alive and it happened. He reached his peak while she held him captured in her mouth, lips tightly secured around him.

FUCK!

Goten sat up in his bed, sweat dripping down the side of his face while his back was completely drenched int it. He was breathing hard, his chest heaving and his throat burning, raspy and dry. His cock ached and twitched while he emptied himself on his own light blue sheets. They glued to him but he did not give a shit. Trembling digits pushed back sweaty, dripping black bangs away from his eyes and he closed his eyes in shame. It was the third time this week that he let his mind ventured down such a disgusting road. Every time, it ended this way. He would wake up and soil himself because of something that was figment of his imagination.

He tried to fight this disgusting habit but he could not help it. Every time he closed his eyes, every time he let himself relax just a little bit, his thoughts would drift back to her. He was convinced he had never jerked off or had this many wet dreams in his entire life. The main problem? He was having a hard time distinguishing reality from fiction. Everything felt real; her scent, the feel of her skin. How was he supposed to know he was being fooled by his imagination? On top of that, out of the two of them involved in this great bond, he was the only one inflicted with this problem.

Last time it happened, at his mother's house, she did not experience anything similar while he had been sure his life had turned into a nightmare. He imagined it was the same this time around. Although he did not dare to ask her that. As a matter of fact, he had not seen her since their little incident in the bathroom. How was he supposed to look at her after having all those thoughts? He would never pull it off. Plus, he felt it might be dangerous. What if he lost control of himself? What if he could not distinguish the line between what was and what was not? No, the further he stayed from her, the better.

He could do this, he could pull through this hell.

It was probably his punishment.

If his mother had not interrupted them that day, he did not know what he might have done and that did scare him. He lost control when there was no reason for him to do that. He wanted her - or at least his body did - and maybe his mind too. He was unable to stop having sexual thoughts about her. What did that say about him? At first, he did try to fight them and now, he let them take over. It was too exhausting to fight them and the end result was always the same regardless of what he did. Although those thoughts were wrong and very dangerous, they did release a pressure and need he did not even know he had. He needed this.

Especially since he was not around her, not seeing her.

They did figure out that when they stayed apart, it was never good for either of them. Perhaps it was why it was becoming more and more intense? Perhaps he had to see her. Although there was no way he could survive this meeting. What if he was too forward? What if he had this intense need to make it all happened? No. Until he calmed down, he would stay away from Bura for both their sakes. Even if it killed him, even if it made it all worse. At least she was not trying to contact him. No call, no text, no showing up at his house uninvited.

That was good right?

Her voice might be too much for him to bear.

Goten let himself drop back on his bed, the sheets following him. He needed to do laundry. Again. It was a good thing he decided to sleep naked. He sighed and turned to his side, noticing that he was not completely flaccid. Great. Not only did he need to do laundry but he also needed to take a cold shower. When had his life become such a nightmare? And when would it end?

-M-

Her nails were digging into the wooden headboard behind her, clawing at it, while her other hand was busy venturing downwards. Two digits were plunging in and out of her heat while she let out the quietest whimpers of pleasure. She had to be quiet - the house was full and she did not need uninvited ears to pick up on what was happening in her bedroom. Unfortunately, what started out as a plan to lure him in backed fire on her. It was not about him, it was about her. She needed this. All the time. She tried to space the little sessions, take a break in between, but her body would not let her. Every day, it begged for him and she answered the call.

She thought he would crack under the pressure after a few days but she was wrong, oh so very wrong. Instead, he dragged this out forever. He did not even come lurking around or anything. Instead, he stayed locked into his apartment and let her suffer on her own. Well, she did not know if he stayed home but she imagined he did. Unless he wanted a repeat of the embarrassment he endured while at his mother's. These little private moments were so frequent that they was no doubt in her mind that he locked himself away from civilization. She even stopped trying to time them. She did not want to embarrass him but this was no longer only about him.

Bura curled her fingers inside of her dripping womanhood and her toes curled with each movement of her finger. She could picture it vividly; his strong arms snaking around her waist, lifting her up, while his mouth was everywhere; sucking at her breasts, kissing his way down to her wetness... The dreams were not enough anymore; she craved the real thing. She barely got a taste of it before it was cruelly snatched away from her and for the first time she experienced the frustration of it all. This was a bad idea. She might need this more than he did. How did it turn out like this? That was not what she had in mind when she began this.

She needed him to come to her, she needed him to get down on his knees and beg.

Why was he not begging?

Bura closed her eyes and let the fantasy take over again. It was not her fingers inside of her; it was his tongue...

Her legs were hooked over his shoulders, his hair tickling the inside of her thighs while he devoured her like she was his meal and he was starving. His tongue was plunged deep inside, twirling in her core while he lapped at everything she had to give him. Every drop of honey was his. One of his hands was teasing her while he used his thumb to apply pressure on her clit. He made circles with his finger, sending jolts of pleasure up her body. It throbbed under his ministrations while his tongue sent her over the edge. His other hand was holding on to her rear, moving her, shifting her position so that she was exactly how he wanted her. He made sure to give himself all the access so that he could go even deeper and get her back from all the teasing she did to him.

More, more, more but it was not enough.

"You're beautiful," he whispered against her, his breathe teasing her.

She clenched her legs around his neck while arching her back, trying to relive some of the pressure that was building inside of her chest. He understood exactly what she was trying to do and he was not about to let her get away with it, forcing him to delve back into her sweet juices. She trashed her body around in the sheets, wanting to pull him closer and push him far away at the same time. She ran her fingers through her own hair, as the need inside of her built up. She ended up simply tugging at her bed sheets. It was too much for her to handle but she did not want him to stop - she needed more. She needed something bigger than his tongue. She needed him inside of her. Why did he torture her like this?

If she wanted this to go further, there was only one way to go about it; she had to take control. Bura inhaled deeply before roaming her hands down her own body, all the way to his sturdy shoulders. She gathered all the self-control she had left and pushed him off violently. He ended up at the end of the bed while her legs fell into the emptiness. He looked at her with confusion shining in his onyx eyes. She did not reply to him. Instead, she propped herself unto her knees and inched towards him, her ass winging in the air. He remained still like a statue, watching her like a predator would its prey. Oh yes, she wanted to be his prey. Although, right now, she wanted to be the one stalking him. She wanted him to worship her.

Once she was in front of him, she pushed him down on his back. His head hung off the bed but neither seemed to care; his eyes were too focused on her and she was captivated by her goal. She climbed over his naked body, her dripping core sliding across his hard length. He groaned and she smirked in satisfaction. She reached for his warm cock and clenched her thighs around his legs to lift herself up. Once her hand was carefully holding his dick, she positioned it at her entrance, brushing it against her outer lips to drag out to agony. It was payback time and she would not be kind to him. He held his breathe, mesmerized by the sight of her, and he watched while she lowered herself unto him.

She moaned while his cock made its way inside of her and then she planted her palms on his chest, nails scratching his skin, leaving red marks behind. She slowly began to ride him, getting used to the new found sensation. He rolled his eyes and lifted his hands so that he could hold on to her hips. This new angle was about to kill him. He did his best to still her, stop her movements for a while, but as per usual, she did not listen to him. Instead, she began to roll her hips, picking up her pace. Her ass was smacking down against him each time she lowered herself and he was forced to bite his lip.

This was too much, this was too loud.

If someone walked in - he was a goner.

But then, she grabbed his wrists and detached his hands from her hips. And he let her - because he was weak for her, weak for her touch. In that moment he could do anything for her. She moved his hands upwards until they were near her breasts. He opened them wide and let her pushed them against her tempting, large mounds. He groped at her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples by twisting them, bringing her pain laced with pleasure. She wanted him to be rough with her, just like he had been during that first night. He had tossed her around like a rag doll, worshiping her body like she was his queen. She wanted that again.

This time, she was in charge, but it did not mean she did not crave his dominance. This was payback for breaking her heart and toying with her as though she meant nothing. She wanted him to be teased, to suffer through her ministrations. And then perhaps he would understand. Though, he did seem to enjoy it. She lowered herself with one big smack, lodging him far inside of her while tightened herself around his cock. Hands dug at her breasts, almost painfully squeezing them. She allowed her own hands to roam along his chest, feeling the ripples of his muscles beneath her fingertips.

"Bura."

But that was not his voice.

"Bura, honey?"

And then, the fantasy was shattered. Bura was pulled from her thoughts and she let her hand dropped lifelessly to her side; she did not reach completion.

"WHAT?" It came out more annoyed than she intended but could she really be blamed for that? She was hot with her body demanding release and her mother interrupted her.

She sat up in her bed, trying to collect herself before continuing this conversation with her mother.

"Can I come in?"

Bura tried to smooth down her messy hair and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. She fixed the out of place blankets that laid across her bed and then searched the room for any evidence of what took place. How could there be any evidence? She was the only one in there. It seemed fine, right? Though it was a good thing it was her mother and not her father or her brother; she would not be able to hide those scents from them. At least her mother's human nose could be fooled. Then again, she was not completely convinced that her mother's brain could be fooled. She exhaled deeply, hoping her cheeks were not too red.

"Yeah."

The door quietly opened and Bulma peeked her head inside. Everything was darkness which made her arch an eyebrow. "Where you sleeping?" It was almost three in the afternoon and her perfectly healthy half-saiyan daughter was sleeping? This did not help ease her worries.

"Sorta." It was as close to the truth as she would ever get. Plus, day dreaming kind of counted as sleeping right? She did come out of a very vivid dream.

It counted as a dream. Plus it was the only explanation she had for what was happening. It remained unexplained how all of this bond worked and she would not go to her father for specific details. She still did not know for sure how much of this Goten felt or saw but she knew from her first experiment that it was enough for him to be embarrassed. Hopefully it was as bad for him as it was for her. If not, the only person she was torturing at the moment was herself. Even now, she wished her mother would simply leave so that she may return to her little fantasy. How had she fallen so far? Why was this addicting? It should not be. It was not the first time around…

Bulma sighed heavily before letting her hand roam against the wall until she found the light switch. She saw Bura wince and shield her eyes briefly while the light illuminated the room. She forgot how bright it could get. Bulma took advantage of the momentary distraction and slipped herself further into the bedroom without her daughter being able to object. She took her usual seat the end of Bura's bed and observed her daughter's face carefully. Her eyes were shiny, her cheeks were slightly red...did she cry? Maybe throw a fit? This might be worse than she originally thought. Her daughter was not one to shed tears easily.

After the initial conversation about how to get to Goten, she did not hear anything back. She should have gone after the boy with everything she had. Instead, her usually stubborn and resolved daughter chose to lock herself up in her bedroom. She sometimes caught a glimpse of her when she ran downstairs to grab some food but that was it. Did she indeed try something and it backfired? No, she would have told her would she have not? They shared a lot about this. She knew this situation was complicated and perhaps a bit too much to handle for her sixteen years old daughter... and she did not want her to lock herself away.

She needed to talk about this.

"Honey, I'm worried."

"Worried about what?"

"You! You were so full of energy, convinced you could do this and now... you stay locked up in your bedroom all the time... it's always dark. You're even avoiding your brother and your father."

Yes, that was because she did not want them to smell the remnants of her orgasm on her. It had nothing to do with avoiding them. Her father knew about it but it did not mean she wanted him to actually know about it. And her brother it was best if he was left in the dark about this whole mess. She had ruined his friendship with Goten enough as it was. Plus, it would also completely ruin their relationship as siblings. They were not always very close but... It did not mean she wanted to traumatize him - and she did not want her brother to know about her sex life. He knew too much already.

"I'm not avoiding anyone."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Look, mom. I'm fine. Don't worry about me because I know what I'm doing." Not really but - she knew it was going to work eventually. Goten just needed to get over all his guilt and man up. Then, everything would fall back into place.

"Doesn't look that way to me." Did her daughter take her for an idiot? Bulma could tell she was hiding something. If only she could figure out what it was...

"Mom, please. I think I can handle this myself."

"Come out of your room."

"What?"

"You say that you're fine. Then prove it. Start acting like your normal self again instead of some hermit. Goten is not worth you sacrificing yourself."

Her mother had it so wrong that she had to held back a laugh. If it was not that mortifying, she might have shared it with her but her lips were going to remain seal.

"Fine." Somehow, she would make it work. Her father and brother had a pretty routine schedule; it should be easy enough to avoid them.

"Alright," Bulma replied with a sigh. She did not enjoy being a bossy mom but she refused to let her daughter do that to herself. She needed to find a normal life again - despite how unusual the current situation was.

She gently squeezed her daughter's leg with her hand and then slowly lifted herself off the bed. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

Nope. Not everything.

"Yes, mom," she replied, slightly annoyed.

Bulma narrowed her eyes but kept walking straight. She made sure to leave the light on as she exited the room, closing the door behind her. At least she would not spend the rest of her afternoon locked up in the dark. It was a small improvement. Until then, she would have to figure out what her daughter was hiding from her. Perhaps her husband could shed a bit of light on the matter? As soon as Bura heard the door click closed, she slid down to lay in her bed. The light was ruining it for her but still - she was so teased and ready to burst that perhaps there was hope.

She closed her eyes, letting herself drift back to her dream world.

-M-

Death.

He wanted to die and he needed it to happen now. He was convinced that death was kinder than whatever was happening to him. This was hell on earth, this was a torture invented to drive him absolutely insane. There were no other answer. Someone up there hated him and it was showing. His eyes were tightly closed, the skin bunching around his eyes as though he had wrinkles. His hand? His hand was wrapped around his cock, again, while he jerked himself off. It never stopped. Morning, nights. Sometimes afternoon. No matter where he was or what he did, it would strike him like lightning.

He could not even go out in public anymore. What if it happened around people? Once was enough.

Though it was not as if anyone noticed his disappearance. His mother did call, but she was not surprised by his lack of visit. Plus, she was not that pleased with him lately and did not even visit herself. It was best that way; he did not need another lecture from her. One was more than enough. His brother was not talking to him either… and Trunks? Trunks did not call because apparently they were not fucking friends and years of friendship did not mean shit. Even though none of this was his actual fault. Although Trunks, his brother and his mother were about the last people he wanted to talk about while giving himself a hand job.

On his mind there was only one person; Bura.

He feared he might have become obsessed with her and in a very dark, twisted way. No, he could not let himself think this way. Clearly this was not all him; the bond was playing some sort of trick on him. Was it because he fought to keep himself a decent man? Being with her was wrong and yet his body had thrown all reason out of the window and he was screwed for life. He had spent the last two weeks acting like a horny teenager. That was not a normal behaviour and he was not a kid anymore. He should have some self control. Actually, he was not even that bad as a teenager.

The worst part? He did not think it would ever stop.

He would be living this nightmare forever.

Unless...

He knew what the unless was, the other option; her. The real thing. His body was calling out to hers and he was a desperate puppet. It was to the point where this was killing him. There was a constant pressure in his chest, a fog in his head and he carried a painful weight around with him. If feared that if he did not give into the sinful, carnal desire of his body he would not make it. It might actually kill him if he did not obtain some sort of permanent release. Even his mind was poisoned, unable to focus on anything but thoughts of her. How was he going to survive this?

How could he forgive himself if he did the unthinkable with her?

His entire sanity boiled down to his morale. Could he live with himself if he slept with her again? Completely willingly? Their past actions were already eating him alive and he would never be able to forget about it. If he let himself taste her... would he come back from it? And most of all, would he stop after one time? These fantasies had his blood boiling. No, he could not let himself go there. That was a dark place that he needed to avoid at all cost. Even if this constant jerking off was slowly driving him into insanity. It was better than the other option… right?

Perhaps his body was trying to tell him something? Something other than to fuck her senseless?

Was it their time apart? Did it all begin because he kissed her? No, no it happened before that. Then again, he had kissed her outside the club... would he be able to figure this out on his own?

Shame filled his body while intense images filled his mind. His thoughts were completely interrupted as a wave of lust traveled through his body, forcing his release out. It spurt out of him, landing on the carpet along with his hand. He let out of a sigh as his hand dropped to his side. He could not do this again. He could not have this happen to him. The skin of his cock was chaffed from all the hand jobs he had given himself over the past weeks.

He would not survive this.

But the real question was could he face Bura after he spent weeks fantasizing about her?

He was not quite sure.

Goten glanced down at his penis, only to see it was still twitching with life, probably just waiting to get back up. He smacked his hands against his face, hoping that it was all a bad dream. Apparently his body made the decision for him; he had to talk with Bura.

-M-

Her head rested carefully against the pillows spread across her bed while her entire body was wrapped around the blankets. She did as her mother asked; she spent a part of the day downstairs, watching some TV and pretending to socialize on the phone. She had to admit, it was harder than she thought it would be. Though, she did manage to successfully avoid her brother and her father. At least she was grateful for that. Hours were wasted, her mother was off her back and everything was back on track. Though it was going to require a few more days like that before her mother actually believed her about this whole thing.

Now that the night had fallen, she was back in her bedroom and her fingers were already itching to travel downwards. Nobody warned her she would become addicted. Though until she could have the real thing, this was about as good as it would get for her. Who knew his will would be this difficult to break? She had to give him credit, he really held on to his beliefs. She did not know if she admired him for it, or if he pissed her off even more. Honestly, she never had to fight this hard for a man's attention. Was she that disgusting that he absolutely could not let himself fall? He was not a fucking god.

Knock.

She sat up in her bed in a flash and inspected her surroundings. That knock did not come from the door it was… from her window. Her heart raced for a second and she untangled herself from her sheets. She hopped on her feet and headed slowly towards the window. She gripped at her pink curtains and pushed them out of the way. She found exactly who she expected; Goten. How did she not sense him? He was there, hovering above her little balcony and completely avoiding her gaze. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Though, she was a bit scared. None of this went as she expected. What if he only came to push her away forever?

There was a slight tremble of her fingers as she finally opened the window. Finally he landed and he glanced at her.

"What do you want?" she asked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Except during the little fantasies, she had not seen him ever since his mother forced him off of her. She thought she would be angry but unfortunately for her, all the need and emotions she had felt for him during those past weeks came rushing back to her. Already a wetness spread between her legs and she wanted to curse him out loud. She needed to keep her head strong and she could not let her weakness show or he might use it against her. She took a deep breathe, trying to chase out any thoughts of lust.

But, as soon as he took a step in her direction, he was hit by a wave of spiciness and he knew he was doomed. It was not supposed to be like this.

His body shook and he knew it then. "I'm sorry."

She arched an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?"

And then, his lips came crashing against hers.

-M-


	14. Final Push

Her breath was taken away while his arms kept her body locked against his with no way of escaping. Her heart raced while her mind tried to make sense of what his actions meant. He kept denying her and he paid the price. She thought he might seek her out to obtain a sort of relief from the hell she put him through, but she never thought it might end up like this. There was no moon, no excuse, no outside influence he could blame this on. If he actually did this, there was no way out for him. Had she truly driven him to that point? The point where he no longer cared about her age, who her brother was... could it be?

Skillful hands distracted from her thoughts as he weaved his fingers through her hair, tugging on her blue mane. She melted against his chest, her head tilting back and giving him a nice view of her pale, smooth, throat. His lips descended from her mouth to the pulse point in her neck and he nibbled. She voiced her pleasure with quiet moans, ones she could not control. She had teased her body along with his and her own will was weak. She was tensed, her body under so much pressure that it was ready to break under his touch. She wanted his fingers to trail down her flesh, touch every part of her until she was numbed out from the need.

Adventurous lips found the top of her large breasts, and his tongue traced the line of her cleavage. His mind screamed at him, but his body roared with desire - and it won. Every second he was not touching her was torture. He had kept himself away for so long that now he was unable to stop. The teasing made stopping impossible. His heart swelled and there was no room for guilt, only lust. His body cried for hers and she was answering the call. The moment he crashed his lips on hers he readied himself for a slap or a push - but nothing came. Now her fragile, delicate hands were roaming down his shoulders, squeezing the flesh. He wanted to be naked and against her bare skin.

Whenever he was around her, he was different and he lost himself. His saiyan side only came out during battles, honing his skills and giving him the battle advantages he required. He never let it out, he never even felt his primal instincts during his daily life. It all changed that night. When she was around, when he needed her, he became different as though he answered to a different set of rules. It was a rush of power, clouding his mind. He could see it become addicting. She could become addicting. There laid the danger. What if he gave in and could not come back?

As his lips traveled to her breasts, she felt the distraction coming from him. His level of intensity lowered, his hands were not as demanding and his lips did not cover as much distance. Doubts - always. He had to let go of his idea of right and wrong. She could not be the only one suffering, she could not be the only one who understood there was nothing wrong with this. It happened because she was ready. It all began that one night because it was right. If it had not been, that night would have been like every other boring night and she would have remained in her own bed. They were humans and they could not completely abide by the same set of rules as them.

She forcefully grabbed his face with her hands and lifted his head up. His eyes met her and for a second she was afraid she snapped him out of his trance. Oh no, he could not touch her like this and walk away. She was wrung so tight she might explode if she did not finally obtain the sweet relief she sought out. His eyes darted around, searching her face for an answer she was not giving him.

"B-"

"Shut up." He did not talk earlier and now was not the time to talk.

And then she smacked her lips on his, never giving him another chance to speak. She did not want him to speak or think. She did not spend all that time, torturing herself for nothing. She needed this; the thought of not getting it brought tears to her eyes. If she let him guide the speed, this would effectively lead nowhere. She needed to be in charge in a way he was too afraid to be. Bura grabbed the edge of his white t-shirt and began lifting it; he offered no resistance. He raised his arms above his head, allowing her to remove it completely. She tossed it on the ground beside them and then, wrapped her tiny arms around his large frame. She used her hold to tilt them backward, expecting him to stop the fall and he did. He used his arms to stop her incoming collision with the ground and then slowly lowered her the rest of the way.

The bed was too far, fuck the bed.

His skin was warm covered in a fine layer of sweat that forced her shirt to cling to his skin. Her fingers trailed down his back, feeling the muscles bulged every time he moved. He arched his back, pressing his pelvic into hers. For the first time, she was finally able to feel just how much he needed her. It pressed against her core, the wetness damping through her pyjamas. She thrusted her hips back, feeling the hardness of him resist back. Automatically, her legs wrapped up around his waist, forcing the object of her need to remain close by. She kept going with her little thrusts, hoping to blind his mind to everything else.

And it worked.

Her scent became his world and no other thoughts were coherent. He remembered how tight she was, how she could clamp up around his erect cock and trap him inside of her sweetness. The spike of spiciness and vanilla twirling in the air brought back all the memories and his erection twitched. His jeans had to fucking go. Although, first, her shirt had to go. He was tired of feeling the fabric slide up and down his naked chest. Hands forcefully gripped the flimsy fabric of her shirt and nearly tore it as he rushed to get it off. Immediately, it bore her bare breasts to his sight and he groaned while he leaned in.

Cold air circled her naked breasts and her nipples hardened. Her chest rose, air filling and expanding her lungs, and before it could lower back down, his mouth latched on to her right nipple. He sucked on it, tugging the breast up before circling with his tongue. She moaned loudly, her body twisting beneath his ministrations. His hand quickly found the other mound and he flickered the tip with his finger before rolling it between his thumb and index. She thrusted forward, her action removing her nipple out of his mouth. He did not let that stop him as he lowered his mouth down, peppering a trail of kisses until he reached her navel.

Her skin tasted like heaven; he wanted to lap his tongue across every inch of her until its flavor was memorized in his head forever. His tongue dipped in her bellybutton and his hands held her sides to keep her still. Fingers dug into her flesh, leaving creases as he finally lowered himself and buried his nose in her cloth covered core. His head swirled and he dared to lap through the fabric, tasting her muted flavor. As soon as his tongue began to wet her pyjamas, she wrung her body and pushed herself up, lifting her ass off the ground. He took advantage of the opportunity and slid his hands down to her rear, cupping it with his large hands.

As he kneaded the sensitive flesh, she threw her head back, her eyes closed. This was real. Every few seconds she feared she was in her dream world, the one that tortured her for weeks. Even now, she did not understand why he wanted to tease her; should he not be as teased as she was? She wanted him to rip her clothes off with his teeth and fuck her senseless until she could not remember her own name. It was how their first time together went down. She wanted that experience again. She wanted the world around them to fade until it was just him and her.

She removed her hands from his soft dark locks of hair and lowered them to grab her pyjamas. She pushed them down, trying to inch them off, but his face was in the way. The fabric bundled near his face, but he never moved out of the way. Impatience growled through her, waiting for him to move, but instead he simply moved his face higher up. Her eyes narrowed at him when suddenly, he opened his mouth and grabbed the fabric between his teeth. Just like she had desired, he began removing it, pulling it down with his teeth and she shivered in anticipation. Once he got them down to her knees, he grabbed a fistful of it and tugged until it tore. It snapped against her skin as he discarded it.

He secured himself back between her legs, resisting the urge to dive his tongue inside of her through her white underwear. He promised himself he would not fall into this insanity again. That it was not right. Yet if he did not taste her, he would die. His heart would explode and he would suffocate. Could it truly be as bad as he said it was? He remembered his mother pulling him off, he remembered her yelling. But he could also recall his slow descent into insanity during the past few weeks. Without this, his life was no longer a life. She was a willing participant, they were not hurting anyone.

As her head was tilted back like this, he could see the mark; she was his.

He never considered her - his. She was a mistake, something he should have never done, but she had never been his. His hands touched her first, he stretched her first and he tasted her first. None of that should make her his. It all made him a monster. But then, why did he need it so desperately?

"Please."

Her begging; it was his downfall. Bura Briefs never begged, but she did - for him. She put her pride aside and asked something of him. She had everything and he had nothing yet he was the only one who could fill that hollowness. How could he say no? How could he refuse her now that he had a taste? He could not. Instead, he took a deep breath and lifted himself off of her before putting his hands on his zipper. He undid it slowly, mindful of his pressing erection, and finally freed himself from their constraints. He shook them off his legs and kicked them backward before nestling himself between her legs.

Teasing, constant teasing. She roamed her hands up his thighs, approaching her fingers to his erection. She made it look like she was going to slide her hands up to his stomach, but she did not. Instead, she snuck a hand inside his boxers, wrapping delicate, cold fingers around his thick cock. He hissed as she began pumping him and teasing him, he coldness of her palm sending shivers down his spine. His world was constant doubt and fears, but she was bold and without fear as she grabbed whatever she wanted, regardless of the consequences. She wanted, she took.

He did not.

She free his cock from his boxers, exposing it to the cold air. She used his other hand to grip at his hip bone and then applied force to move him downwards. The element of surprise was her friend; he forgot about her strength. He was used to weaker woman which allowed her to gain the upper hand. She guided him to her covered entrance and then she finally released him. She could not let him doubt, she could not let him walk away from this when he was so close. If she had to take matters into her own hands, so be it. She had done that from the very beginning.

If he pushed, he would bring the fabric along with him. If he moved his crisped hands and moved her underwear out of the way, he could slip in without any trouble. He dreamed of it since the very beginning; it was that need the drove him to her house, that made him kiss her senseless. And now he could have it. Her long legs wrapped around him, forcing him down even more. He remembered the pain, the insanity that slipped into him those past few weeks and he gave in. His fingers moved to her underwear and he tugged them out of the way - and she pushed him the rest of the way in. She stretched around him while he filled her to the brim.

He groaned loudly as he began sliding in and out of her. Meanwhile, Bura was done playing nice; her hands caressed the length of his throat and then, she dragged her nails down his chest, ripping the skin along the way. He hissed as he felt the blood surged to the surface, but it did not stop his motions; instead he picked up his pace.  _So long, it had been so long_. Weeks of torment where he was tortured by dreams of her skin and now he was buried deep inside of her. She clenched her walls around his cock, but he pulled it out and then only smacked back harder. Her whole body shook with each of his thrusts, her ass slamming against the ground.

Except he was dead wrong if he thought this was how it was going down. He crushed her ego, he left her pride shattered into pieces and she intended on taking it back. He would not run; he was too far in. She waited for a second where he was distracted and then, used her hold on his chest to push him down to his back. Again, the effect of surprise worked to her advantage and he laid flat on his back. She smirked as she straddled his legs and began raising her hips, controlling the rhythm. He watched, his eyes opened wide, while she rode him, her large breasts bouncing with each stroke, each movement of her hips.

He had died and gone to heaven.

Her juices spilled out of her, coating her inner thighs along with his. Each time she lowered herself down on him, she smacked her ass on his legs, making sure to bury him deep. This was backfiring; she had teased herself so much she was ready to come. It was too soon; she wanted to torture him, remind him that he needed her. He marked her as his and yet he kept tossing her aside. No more. She forced herself to slow down her speed, no matter how much it killed her, and she dug her nails back into his chest. He glanced up at her, silently begging her to go faster, but she refused to let him win.

"Call me princess."

He had used that word the first time they slept together and then never again. It was always the same words; sister, kid, underage. She did not want those words anymore. She wanted that word he used the first night. She wanted the word that gave her all the power.

For the first time, she snapped him out of the trance he was in.  _Princess_. He knew that word too well;  _It's okay, Princess, don't hold it, just relax. Come for me, Princess._ He used that word. Why did he use that word?

Goten watched her, bent over his body, his cock sheathed inside of her while she tortured him by clenching her inner walls. He wanted more, he needed more. His moral compass was  _broken_  at the moment. Her eyes shone despite the darkness of the room and he was swallowed hard by the blueness of her eyes. This was who Bura was - the one who took everything from him. If he let that word slip…

She tilted her head backward, thrusting her breasts forward while she moaned his name quietly.  _No, no, no, no_. He felt himself pulse inside of her and he groaned. He was fucked.

She slammed down hard on him. " _Please_." It should have been an act of begging, but despite the word she used it was not. It was an order. Everything was red, and lust and the feel of her skin under his fingertips. He dreamed of this moment for weeks. He had needed her forever. His entire world was made up by her. It was as intoxicating as he remembered the first time being. She gave and gave, but it was not enough. He wanted more.

"Faster, princess."

The words were quiet, but she heard them. She let the thrill of the moment rush through her and laid herself across his chest as she picked up her speed once more. His moans mixed with hers as finally, she felt her climax build back up. He was hard for her, he was begging for her. He  _fell_  from his pedestal of good morale and good thinking. It might not fix everything, but  _good_  - she had not realized how much she needed this.

He thrusted back against hers and suddenly a weakness spread to her thighs. She felt them clench and quiver, ready to give up underneath the pressure of the need his cock created. A few more pushes… she had to keep going.

Again, it was like he was inside of his head. His hands moved to her ass and he grabbed it, his fingers pushing enough to leave marks, and he began increasing the pace of  _her_  strokes. Touch, scents and desire mingled all together as she lost herself in it. Her head was thrown back, her walls wrapped around him and she came, her orgasm leaking down his cock, staining the carpet. Watching her squirm and tremble around him, he was unable to hold back. Reality was much better than the fantasy. He spilled his release inside of her, the feeling hot and soothing for her.

Then, he let his head hit the ground and she let her body collapse on top of him.

Talking could wait.

-M-

"Bura, honey. Rise and shine. I told you no more mopping around."

 _Oh fuck_.

As two heads snapped up from the mess of blankets that laid upon the floor, Bulma gasped loudly, dropping her blue notebook to the ground. It took her a second, but she easily recognized the guest in her daughter's bedroom. "Goten?!"

Bulma's shrieking voice echoed in his head and then he looked around at the scene; he was still naked. Bura? Still naked.  _Oh good_. He was afraid this did not look like a total utter mess.  _Fuck_. "Hi Bulma." Hi Bulma? Was that the best he could come up with? He was not supposed to still be here. His sleepless nights had really taken a toll on his body and now finally, he had been able to achieve rest without any kind of disturbance.

And here she thought her daughter was mopping around,  _not_  going after Goten. "I - hm." She should be mad, she should be yelling at them. She did tell her daughter to go and get Goten, but she did not think it was going to end up this way. Although, she could hardly yell when she understood the pull of the bond. Sometimes, Vegeta and her got a little caught up. It happened. But still. "Dress. The both of you." She bent down and retrieved her notebook from the ground. "Breakfast downstairs."

With those words spoken, she closed the door behind her and left the two of them alone again.

Bura stretched, the sheet falling from her body and revealing her full nakedness to his eyes. Honestly, she did not know what to say to him. One night was not going to fix everything. Goten was still that same good little boy who thought this was wrong. All that changed was perhaps the fact that he accepted the idea that she was attractive. Though she knew one thing; if he started this whole conversation about this with  _I'm sorry, I was wrong_ , she was going to lose her freaking mind. She was tired of that.

"Morning." She settled on something simple.

He focused his eyes on her face rather than her exposed breasts. He had started it all last night. He showed up at her house, he kissed her and he took her. It had been too much; the need had been killing him. Even now, it did not feel nearly enough. He was royally fucked. He wanted her physically, he wanted to fuck her. It was the reality he was forced to face. He remained unsure about how to deal with it, but - it was there. He had enjoyed it. He was a sick fucker, but he had enjoyed it. For the first time in weeks, it was easier to breathe and there was no longer that constant pressure on his chest. He had freed himself from the pain.

"Morning," he replied back after a moment.

She grabbed his jeans and threw them against his chest. A conversation with her mother was not necessarily her favorite thing in the world, but it was better than this.

"Listen B," he began.

"Oh no!" she warned. "I'm not gonna listen to another one of your speeches. It's too late for your bullshit okay. You can't say, this is wrong, you're too young, I don't want you.  _Too_  fucking  _late_. You came here. I didn't call you here." Alright, she did. But that was the part that he would never, ever know. It was her own little secret. It did not hurt anyone. He enjoyed himself did he not?

"I know."

She was ready to start screaming, but stopped. He knew? When was the last time he agreed with her? Way to ruin  _her_  speech.

"I jus- I don't know where we go from here." He ran his hand through his hair, smoothening them down. "I don't know what we're supposed to do." They needed to be close, they fucked… but there were no feelings involved. She mentioned many times how he was beneath her and how she would never want to be with him. Sleeping together did not make this a relationship. They were back to square one. Only it was now more complicated than before.

Their being together remained a problem. Though this time, she refused to let it get to her. Her mother had been right; Goten had been raised a certain way and it was what stood in their way. She had shown that it was possible to bring down that barrier. All she had to do was put more efforts than she had been. She could do that. He was one foot in. He admitted to desiring her and he sought her out. How hard could it be to open his eyes to the possibilities? She could not make him fall in love with her, no matter how much she tortured him, but she could let him see his own feelings. If she were to believe her father, a man who did not lie, Goten had feelings for her. Else he would not have bitten her.

It could be done.

"I don't know. I guess we just make it up as we go along."

She had no fear shining in her eyes. He had the vague memory of her request.  _Princess_. He had actually done it. He was a sick pervert. That was what he had turned into.

"I guess." Because really, what else were they supposed to do? Every time they had a plan it failed. He promised he would stay away from her, he swore he would never touch her again and he broke every single one of those promises. It was simply better if he refrained from making them. At least he would not be disappointing anyone.

He resigned himself to silence as he tossed the blanket off of his body, noticing he still had his boxers on. He never really took them off - as a matter of fact he did not even take  _her_  underwear off. He shook his head, ashamed of his attitude, and slipped his jeans back on. Beside him, Bura slipped back her pyjamas. In the midst of blankets, he found his white shirt and put it in.  _Good thing he found it_  because the scratches she made on his chest were not healed yet. Did Bulma  _see_  them? He hoped not - as if this situation was not embarrassing enough. It was the first time there was a proof left behind. Women were not strong enough to do that kind of damage on him. But she was not a regular woman…

Bura was the first on her feet and he quickly followed her. Unfortunately for them, their timing out of the bedroom could not have been worse. As they stepped out, they encountered another member of the Briefs family; Trunks.

Because of course, his life could be  _worse_ …

Trunks stared at his best friend, uncertainty dancing in his eyes. He had felt his ki as he came home, but he had not thought much about it. They were  _mated_  and they had shit to work through, but this - they were coming out of her bedroom. Also, from the looks of it, they just woke up. They slept together. In the same room. He knew that if he took one sniff in the air, his nose would tell him exactly what took place and he did not want to know.

"One thing. I asked you one fucking thing." He exhaled, his nostrils flaring. "Don't fuck my sister."

As he was about to take a step forward, Bura got in the way, blocking his path. "This doesn't concern you, Trunks."

"Bura move."

She was too young to know better, she was too young to know what she wanted. Fine, they were going to be stuck like this forever. Still, he rather she had a few years until they started to  _be_  together. This was too adult for his spoiled little sister. She would be the one hurt in the end.

"No. It's none of your business Trunks."

"Like hell it isn't."

"Do as she said."

Everyone turned their head in the direction of the voice, finding Vegeta pressed against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Leave them be."

His father's acceptance of the situation drove him wild, but fighting would not get him much except a good ass whooping. He sighed and backed away, letting them past.

"Meet me in the GR."

Of course, he did one thing and now he would have to train with his father. He did not have the energy or patience for this. Regardless, he turned left and headed there. Perhaps a good sparring would calm his nerves.

"Thanks, daddy," Bura whispered as she walked past her father.

Goten was following behind, but as soon as Bura disappeared into the next room, Vegeta stopped him. He grabbed him by the t-shirt and smacked him in the nearby wall. Panic formed on his face as he stared at Vegeta's angry face. What had he done? He thought he  _knew_  of this, he thought this was how he wanted things? Why couldn't he get a fucking break?

"I might not be able to kill you," he warned, "but if you get my daughter pregnant, you'll wish  _I could kill you_."

He swallowed hard and nodded vigourously. Condoms. Why did he never think about condoms? Every time he was with Bura they were either influenced by the moon and pushed so far that they did not think straight. But he did agree with Vegeta on this; no babies. Fuck, it would make this mess impossible to handle. This was already bad enough without bringing a child into it. Neither of them, especially not her, were ready to raise a kid. That along would serve him as a reminder to carry some with him.  _Not that Vegeta's promise of a long, deadly torture was anything he'd ever forget._

"I won't."

"Don't take me for a fool."

"I promise I won't do it again."

Vegeta stared him down a few seconds longer before letting his body drop back to the ground. Goten scampered to his feet and hurried to join back Bura. If he had to choose between Vegeta and Bulma, he picked Bulma. He rarely made that choice, but — when Bura was concerned, Vegeta was completely other man. A deadly one.

Once he stepped into the kitchen, he found that Bura was sitting in front of her mother and a seat was ready for him. At least there was a nice breakfast plate with eggs and bacon. His death would be kind. He joined them, but never dared to touch the food - despite the way his stomach was growling. He was half-saiyan. Turning food down was like a sin, but - this was more important.

"I think we need some rules," Bulma finally said. "No sex.  _Here_  or at Goten's." Usually, sixteen years old dated boys who did not have their own apartment so that rule was not required.

"Mom -"

"Yes. Bond. Yes mated." She rolled her eyes. "I get it. However, it doesn't change the situation. You're sixteen. I'm not gonna let you roam around and do whatever you want."

"You -" She stopped. She was not going to tell Goten that her mother told her to  _seduce_  him. "You used to do it!"

Bulma's eyes narrowed. "That's beside the point."

"No, how is it any different. You went on adventures, you  _\- you used to date Yamcha_. When he was a bandit!" It was almost hard to say that with a straight face.

"Yes, and I also know the consequences that come from doing whatever you want." She was not usually strict on her children, but she was doing this for Bura's own good. Although she knew her daughter's feelings, she could not confirm Goten's. She knew there was something in there, but she could not guarantee that Bura would not get hurt in the process of finding out. She was trying to protect her as much as possible. Sex was a messy business. She had told her daughter to seduce him, but she did not think it would happen this rapidly. She feared his change of heart was not due to Bura's flirting, but to something else. Maybe the bond?

If she put a restriction on sex… and they did it anyway? It might mean he did actually want it.

Plus, they still had to be somewhat careful. Bulma's relationship with Vegeta used to be a mess.  _And she got pregnan_ t. Pregnant!

"And I hope you two are using protection!"

As both their faces fell, Bulma sighed in exasperation. "Alright, well I don't want  _this_  happening again, but if it does happen, for the love of dende, use protection!" She leaned forward and smack Goten's arm. "You should know better. Have you been going around town fucking girls unprotected for years?"

"W-what no!" he defended. He was usually extremely careful, especially when he was  _single_  for a while. His mother would kill him if he got a girl pregnant. There was something about Bura that made him lose all sense and logic.

"Well, then, why are you being such an idiot now?"

"I - I won't do it again." He knew he fucked up, he did not need the constant reminder.

Meanwhile, Bura wanted to smack herself. She remembered how scared she had been when her father asked Goten if he had impregnated her back when they first learned about the bond. How could she not have been more careful? Goten was - sweet and all, but she was the smart one. She should have thought about it. She did not want a baby. Eventually, yes. Now? Never. Especially not when things were this complicated. She did not want Goten to have one more reason to feel  _tied_  down to her. She was not going to trap him any more than he was already trapped.

"Mom, we'll be careful."

"Of course you will, because it stops now." She sighed. Her daughter would do as she pleased, she knew that. But Goten? Well, now the ball was in his court. "Now eat your breakfast." She knew of the saiyan appetite and she was not  _cruel_.

She pushed herself up and left the two of them alone.

Goten stared at Bura while she began picking at her food. Everyone was pretty much mad at him; Trunks hated his guts and could not look at him, Vegeta threatened to kill him, and he felt less welcomed by Bulma. And yet, despite all of those things, it was the first time in months that he did not feel a crushing feeling in his chest. He could breathe and it did not hurt.

Bura.

Bura was not mad at him - for the first time in a long time.

 _And he could breathe_.

-M-


	15. Transformation

He drummed his fingers on his thigh, the waiting and stress forming a lump in his throat. Ever since he left Capsule Corp. on that fatal day, he understood that it was best if he stayed away. Bulma was accepting of him, Vegeta tolerated him because he had no other choice, but Trunks did not feel the same. His best friend simply stopped talking to him. No more phone call, no more text. And honestly, he figured out that coming by would be a bad idea. Trunks was even ignoring his own sister. So really, what were his chances that he was going to talk to  _him_  when apparently he meant nothing at all. He thought Trunks understood how complicated and fucked up this all was…

And now?

Now it was Bura who came to him.

So, they were in his apartment, watching a movie, and he could not even pay attention to it.

She never stayed too late - as to not disobey the rule imposed upon them. Technically she should not even be there, but her family was fairly busy during the day which allowed them a bit of free time. She showed up at his door, a movie in hand, and he never even thought about refusing her. Especially not when she showed up all bouncy and tight clothes. He had not meant to stare, but skin was showing everywhere, curves spilling out of thin fabric and - and he had lost himself there. She had pushed herself in and dropped on his couch like she belonged there and he did not even argue with her. Instead, he joined her and now he was still stuck in that torture.

He was an out of control teenager.

Goten watched her, mesmerized by the movie, while he had to shift his position to make it more... comfortable. His pants were getting tight and it was not a good thing. She was not even doing anything; she was not looking, she was not flirting... Why was he acting this way? Get a grip, he chastised himself.

"Is it boring?"

She asked her question without even looking at him. She knew what he was going through; she set it up. She may or may not have teased herself before her planned arrival. Of course, even she was suffering through the leftover from her little play time, but it did not seem as bad as what he had going on. It was also the reason why she avoided looking at him. She did not trust herself control. She might have gotten him to cave once, but it was not nearly enough. It needed to be a repeated behavior if she wanted him to learn a lesson. If she came to him, it would not be the same; she wanted his submission, his acceptance of the situation. But damn he was stubborn. He already jumped her bones once. What was one more time? They accepted the reality of their situation and yet he kept on fighting it.

His moral compass had to go.

"No, no, it's good." Hopefully she was not going to ask him what was going on in the movie. He did not know. Did she notice he was strange? Was she playing with him?

She offered him a quick nod while pressing her lips together. Liar. He was not even watching. Heck, she was not even watching. She was too busy stealing glances at him when he was not looking. She dared to slide towards him slightly, pushing her breasts upwards by crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Goten watched with wide eyes as her unbound breasts bounced. Unbound?! He exhaled loudly through his nostrils and his bottom lip trembled. Why did he not notice that before? His eyes traveled down watching as her nipples peaked through her pale beige shirt. Was it cold or was she aroused? Perhaps she was feeling the same way he was? It would not be the first time. He was not the only one out of control when they last laid together. She was as bad as he was. Plus there was no rule right? They came to that agreement. They would just make it up as they went and see where all of this would lead. Of course, it was leading them right back into the throes of passion. Was that bad?

Idiot. Obviously it was.

But he was so hopeless, so weak.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"What?"

"Well, you've been staring into space ever since I got here. If you didn't want to hang out, you should have said no. It's that simple," she snapped.

The subtle method had yet to work and honestly she was tired of wasting time. She could not be gone forever - even though she did technically had her mother's approval. Also being here was better than being around her brother who was throwing a fit. Despite everyone'ls attempts to talk to him, he remained angry and closed off. She thought Goten was his main target, but she was wrong; she learned that she was. Goten might have broken the number one rule, but she did something worse; she stole his best friend and destroyed their friendship. Yes, Trunks put most of the blame on Goten because he was the 'adult', but if it was not for her, none of it would have happened.

She was who he hated the most at the moment.

"I'm sorry, okay. I do wanna hang out." That was it, that was the best he had to offer; he did not even know what to say to defend himself.

Bura sighed, but leaned back into the couch. "Sure."

He ran his fingers through his hair, slicking them back. "Look, I just don't know how to act."

That bullshit excuse again. She was so sick of hearing it over and over again. He sounded like a broken record. "I think we're over that."

"Are we?" She was okay with all of it; she lured him into the darkness without even a second thought. How was she so accepting of it all? Or maybe the question was, why was he fighting it so much? No matter what he did he kept on losing.

"We fucked Goten. Multiple times. Get over it. Just act however you wanna act." It was that simple. He was the one who insisted on making this more complicated than it had to be.

The way the word left her lips send a tingle through him. "Bura it's not -"

"Yes IT IS!" she shouted, cutting him off. "Stop with the fucking conscience Goten. Pretty sure you weren't thinking about all that when you were fucking me."

No, because when he was buried deep inside of her, he could not think about any of that. His brain ceased to work and she became his entire world. He did everything and anything she asked like a puppet. When they were joined he forgot about the pain in his heart, his shortness of breath - all the agony vanished away. But he could not admit any of it out loud yet. Shame remained inside of him, swirling around and vaguely reminding him that he was a shitty human being. Every time he tasted her flesh, every time he bruised those lips, he fell further. He already knew there was no way out of it. But he kept resisting it. Though not in the same way. He knew he would have her again. It was pointless to ignore that.

Bura saw the fire shine in his eyes; this was something she could work with. She dropped to her knees, turning her body to face him and grace him with a nice view of her cleavage. She inched herself closer on all four and watched while panic spread over his face. He was cornered like an helpless animal. She stopped when her hands reached his feet and she flattened her palms over them, grasping her fingers around the flesh, keeping him stuck there. He would never pull away from her. Her eyes met his and once she knew she had his full attention, she inched her hands higher, higher and higher...all the way to his knees. She used her grip to spread them apart and inserted herself between his legs.

"What's wrong, why are you so distracted?" Now she was simply being plain mean.

"I- i" What was he supposed to make a sentence when her breasts were shoved in his face and her slender body prisoner of his legs? All he could focus on was the warmth coming from her and the feel of her tiny fingers digging at his flesh through the fabric of his pants. He felt his erection growing, pressing against the cold zipper and he wanted to curse. He knew better; it was not going away. When it came to Bura, there was never a turn off switch. The only option was on.

She did her best not to gaze down at the growing mass in his pants, but it was hard. She was teased, she was wet. She needed this as much as he did. Except she was not fighting it. She leaned her body forward until her stomach was pressed against his, and her breasts threatening to spill out of her shirt. His hard rock cock was digging at her and she held back a moan by biting her lip. "Maybe I should go."

But he would never let her leave. And he did not.

She barely had a chance to try and lift herself up that suddenly, their position changed. He slammed her down on her back, the couch bouncing back beneath her. His arms were on both sides of her while her body remained trapped between his legs. He lowered himself until his face was buried in the crook of her neck, inhaling her soft scent. She shuddered when his nose brushed up against her skin and she licked her lips in anticipation. It was been way too long since he last stretched her and filled her. Now that she had gotten a proper taste of it, she needed more. Why was he ignoring the craving clawing at his chest? She thrusted her hips forward, hoping to remind him that he enjoyed this.

He groaned in her neck, and steadied her with his hands. Little minx. He was so hard his cock was pulsing. He dared to kiss the flesh of her neck, his tongue lapping, taking in the slight salty taste. He began peppering her skin with kisses and she melted in his arms. Her arousal surrounded them, filling his nostrils and he wanted more. Greediness filled him and he finally lowered his mouth. He felt the hardness of her nipple beneath the shirt and he did not even bother getting rid of the fabric. Instead, he captured it all in his mouth, sucking it, wetting the shirt in the process. Her only reaction was to arch her back and push her breast further into his mouth.

Goten took advantage of the new position and slipped a hand to the curve of her back. Fingertips tickled at the skin, gripping at her, wanting to feel even more of her body. Her own hands traveled to his hair, tangling with them, pulling at it. The slight pain felt good. He could let himself go completely, never fearing the thought of hurting her. She could actually hurt him and it was thrilling. Words inside of his head were telling him to be the dominant one, but he knew it was a lost cause. Bura did not submit to anyone. Not only that, but he was not sure he wanted her too. He wanted to submit himself to her. Do anything that might please her, anything that would force her to scream his name in pleasure. She was intoxicating, letting his mind slip into another reality.

Some parts of him only became alive when she was near.

The need was so intense, he was dizzy. Too out of it to notice the world around, too far in to even think it was possible for other people to exist around them.

Which was a mistake they both made.

And it was the reason why they both jumped startled when a loud knock pounded on the door. "Put your freaking clothes on."

Bura did not recognize the voice immediately, but Goten did; his brother. Fuck. Did he not have enough people mad at him? A growl escaped him as he released her nipple from his mouth. Gohan's opinion meant a lot, but for the first time, he was mad at him. Why did he interrupt? He pulled his body away from Bura, watching as she panted, her face red while her eyes shun with lust. The anger that was forming inside of him only grew and he found himself baring his teeth. Rage flooded his veins and he had to take a deep breathe. He moved away from the couch and headed for the door despite the obvious evidence in his pants.

Meanwhile Bura stayed on the couch, trying to collect herself. Gohan. Why was Gohan here?

She never got to see his take on the whole matter, but considering how stressed out Goten was - it could not be good.

Goten wrapped his fingers around the handle and swung it open violently. On the other side his brother was glaring at him while holding Tupperware's in his hands. "You missed dinner." He was vaguely aware that Goten and his mother had a disagreement, but that did not mean he was allowed to skip on their family dinner. It meant a lot to their mother.

"Yeah well. It happens." He could hear the judgement dripping from his brother's voice and he was not in the mood for it.

Gohan glanced inside and despite his brother's cold welcome, he let himself in. He could feel Bura, but he could not see her. He did not miss however the heavy, thick scent of arousal that hung in the air. He scoffed as he headed for the kitchen and dropped the leftover on the wooden table. "Mom wanted you to have this." She worried for him, although he could not understand why. Clearly Goten felt no regret regarding his actions.

"Thanks. Are you done?"

"Are you serious?:

From his new angle Gohan could see Bura; her messed up hair, her wet shirt and the heat on her face. The sight of her like this disgusted him; it could be his daughter in that situation. Did his little brother have no shame? Could he not fight it? No, instead he kept on repeating that error over and over again. Did he not see how wrong it was? Or was he too busy being mad at him to see the truth of his own actions?

"What?"

"I thought you understood this was a bad idea?"

This. She was not a this. Bura furrowed her eyebrows, but remained put. This was not her fight. Every part of her was itching to yell at Gohan, but she knew she could not. She would not want someone to get in the middle of her and Trunks. She took a deep breath and instead dug her fingers into the couch. Meanwhile, Goten was having a similar reaction, but he was not holding back. Something in his chest was thundering inside increasing the wrath that wanted to explode. He did not get angry. His father might not have given him much, but he did pass down to him his rather peaceful nature. Except now? Now, he wanted nothing more than to bash his brother's head in.

"You decided it was a bad idea."

No. He thought it was a bad idea too, but those were not the words coming out of his mouth.

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "No."

"You're not my father. You don't get to tell me how to live my life."

"It isn'lt about that! You have a niece! Would you like it if some old guy just -"

"Just what? I'm not just fucking her. She's mine."

His words startled both Gohan and Bura who gasped behind them. She put in a lot of efforts to convince him to let go of whatever was holding him back. She never thought this would be a possible result. But something was off. She knew Goten, she loved Goten and this was not him. Although he was saying some things she wished he would, it was not him. The rage on his face, the fire in his words; it was all foreign. He was not acting like himself and in some case it might have been a good thing, but right now it was not. His relationship with his brother was deteriorating and fast. And if there was one huge downside to them being together - it was all the losses.

"You took advantage of a young girl. Yes, congrats. You're a champion."

"I didn't manipulate her." He carried that guilt around with him for too long. He afflicted too much pain on himself because he thought the same thing. But he truth was, neither of them had much control. It was not his fault that his stupid brother refused to see that.

"You know what, you dropped off the food. You did what you had to do. You can leave now."

"What if I don't?" Someone had to knock some sense into his little brother and since no one was doing it... he would.

Goten's glance hardened and he took a step backward. "B, come here."

She did not listen to orders and she certainly did not get involve in family matters. However, there was a richness, a deepness to his voice, one that shook her to her core. Goten was soft, and submissive and he always did the right thing. He did not provoke and he did not demand. He begged instead. But this - this was an order. And so, despite all the voices screaming in her head, she let her feet glide down to the ground and got up from the couch. Her steps were slow as she joined him. Except, she remained behind, hiding herself from Gohan's view. She had seen that look enough; her brother kept giving it to her. She did not need it from someone else.

Goten grabbed her hand and then, before she could even take a breath, he swung her around, slamming her against the nearby wall. Immediately his lips were on hers, devouring her like she was the nectar of life. Arousal surged through her and her body melted against his. Long legs wrapped around his waist and he pushed his erection against her clothed core. She tore her mouth from his to moan and Goten finally turned around to look at his brother. He pressed his cheek to Bura's breast, unable to control the storm in his heart. His brother was trying to keep him from Bura and it was making his head spin. He was trying to hold on to rationality, but it was slipping from him.

"I wouldn't stay for this if I were you. You know, since it's so immoral."

Gohan's hands clenched at his sides, trembled and he was ready to hit his brother, but he exhaled through his nostrils in an attempt to calm himself. His brother never acted like this before; something was wrong with him. He could fight with him, and Dende he wanted to, but it would serve no good. Plus, there was a high chance it might hurt his mother. She never wanted them to fight. He would be the bigger person and walk away from this before he lost all control. He threw one last disgusted glance in the direction of the pair and then, tore himself away, His steps were loud as he exited the room, slamming the door shut on his way out.

Once he was out, Goten turned his attention back to Bura. His left hand bundled her shit, lifting it to reveal the creamy skin of her stomach. His mouth left a path of butterfly kisses until he reached the hem of her skirt. He did not think about it twice as he trailed his hands up her thighs and then, cupped her rear. She gasped as he lifted her from the ground until her legs were hooked over his shoulders. Her heart began to race and daze filled her mind. Goten had never been this forever. No, no he had. Or - wait. All she had from that first night were vague memories that did not make sense. But the more he touched her, the more it felt familiar. He was rough and demanding before. Wasn't he?

Why the change, why the difference?

Before she could even process what was happening, his tongue lapped at her covered core and he let the muted flavor spill inside his mouth. Ignoring the fabric in his way, he pushed his tongue inside and she curled around him. Her toes curled and she tightened her legs around his neck. That did not stop him as he shoved himself forward, completely burying himself inside of her skirt, and dove his tongue further in. Except, he raised a hand and gently tugged on her flimsy underwear to pull it out of his way. It snapped back against her skin, but she did not even feel it as he filled her with his warm tongue.

It was a tease, nothing more than a tease.

She needed to be stretched by something much bigger than his tongue and she wanted to tighten around his length. Nonetheless, she let herself get lost in the contact of his tongue and squirmed while he twirled it around, taking more than she had to offer. His hands were cupping her rear, caressing the flesh, skyrocketing her need at the same time. She thrusted against his mouth, the teasing becoming unbearable. He wanted her; it was all she could smell. He was different, but she was no longer certain it was a bad difference. The doubts and hesitation were gone and all that was left behind was a thrilling confidence.

He lapped at everything she was giving him, hoping there would be more. His thought process was quick; her and only her. She had given him a taste and then this brother came along, ready to take it from him. Everyone was spending their time challenging him. They all wanted to take what was his, condemning it was wrong. Why was it wrong? He took her like he should have and she accepted it. How could something so good be wrong?

Goten was pulled from his thoughts when she trembled, and suddenly, there was a flow of nectar filling his mouth, ready to spill down from his chin; she was close. Although it made him groan, he pulled his mouth from her sweet core. He wanted her to explode around him. He kept their current position while his fingers fumbled with his belt. He unhooked it rather rapidly while she thrusted the emptiness, clearly missing his presence. She would not have to wait for too long. Without giving her a warning, he rose back up, keeping her legs as they were. She was forced to stretch them, but it gave him the best access to her dripping core.

Her eyes met his and then he plunged himself deep inside. A long moan was torn from her throat while he began pounding her. The position of her legs allowed him a deep access and he took advantage of it. He filled her to the brim and then slowly pulled himself out only to ram back in. Her back slammed relentlessly against the wall, but she could not care less. She began clawing at his back, her nails dragging down his shirt while she hide her face in his chest. It was too much pressure; she was going to break under his ministration. She wanted to take back the upper hand, but he was not even giving her a chance to. He was taking everything she had.

Breathless, she put her lips to his chest. A surge of dominance rose through her and she forced herself to raise her head. She spotted his neck and went right for it. She sunk her teeth into the sensitive flesh of his neck and let the blood flow. She could not mark him the way he had marked her, but it did not mean she did not intend on leaving a trail of her presence. Blood dripped down his shirt and he hissed at the throbbing pain. She actually bit him. Bura did not take it well when she was put in a submissive position. It made his blood rush and he smirked as he slowed down his pace. He felt her hip thrusts, but he did not reply to them.

Instead, he dragged out the torture and kept his pace slow. Her aggravation showed through the clawing she did on his back or the increased amount of bites she left behind. He held back a chuckle while he kept controlling himself. This was hard on him as well, but it was worth it just to get a reaction out of her.

Because she was Bura Briefs. Vegeta's daughter. She might fight him to make him go faster, but she would not ask. She would not beg. He wanted her to - he wanted to hear her say what she wanted.

He unhooked her legs from around his head and dropped them back to his waist. Immediately she wrapped them around him, hoping to force him back inside faster, but it did not work. She might be strong, but she was nowhere near his strength. Sometimes he was careful, sometimes he let her win, but not this time. He leaned his body forward, his breath tickling her ear before he captured her earlobe and sucked on it.

"What do you want," he whispered.

She shook her head, but tried to break his hold.

"Words. I want words."

He was being bossy Goten again. She did not like it; she was in charge of this. Yet, she was unable to stop the shiver that took over her body.

"I can make it better."

That voice. That was the confident voice from that night. She almost wanted to see his eyes to confirm it was him. It was Goten, but it was not Goten.

"You just have to tell me what you want."

Fuck bastard knew what she wanted. He was just trying to bring her down to her knees and she did not want him to win. She was stubborn; he should have remembered that. She wanted to go down with a fight. But - but oh god if he did not increase his speed she might die. What was more important? Her pleasure or her pride. She was always so prideful and he always found a way to crush her pride. She usually never got anything in exchange. For the first time, this was not about humiliating her. He wished to take from her. It was flux, something that would never happen again. Her chest ached at the thought that he would probably never wanted her as much as he wanted her now.

Could she relinquish a bit of control for the sake of a memory?

"M-more." It came out like a raspy whisper.

"More what?" He asked while his teeth grazed the column of he throat.

Asshole. She spoke. Why was it not enough, why did he need more than that?

"Har-" But she could not say it.

He needed to give her some motivation. This was all for her; for her pleasure. He lowered his mouth, sucking the skin over her collarbone and she clenched around his cock. He wanted to pound her.

She tangled a hand with his hair and she bit her lip. It was one word. "Harder."

And he obeyed the request that easily. As soon as the words left her mouth, he resumed pounding into her warm slick cunt. She bent around him, throwing her head backwards as the sensations became overwhelming. Days apart were too much and the teasing had driven her absolutely insane. She clenched around him, her walls sucking him in, but refusing to let him go. He pumped a few more strokes until it happened; she fell apart around him, drowning his erection with her spilling juices. The nectar leaked down his own legs as she screamed his name loudly, filling his chest with an unknown pride.

Overwhelmed by the warmth of her, his own orgasm followed.

Slick heat filled her and she curled her toes while he filled her even more with his release.

After a few moments, he popped his limp cock out of her, but kept his arms around her. He lowered himself to the ground, her body on top of his. His semen slipped out of her while she laid her sweaty face on top of his clothed chest. Through all this, it slipped her mind that they had remained quite clothed. She laid her palms flat against his biceps, running her fingers down the length of it. His veins were popping out while his hands were clenched. He was stressed out. She dared to raise her head and stole a peek at him. His eyes were unfocused and his jaw was tight while he stared at her while never really seeing her.

"Goten?" She tried.

His irises grew and then returned to a smaller size. His mouth was warm and dry, feeling like cotton. He wanted to glide his hands across her body and feel every curve and plane. He wanted to memorize every inch of her until he could never forget it. But, he was fighting it. There was a need, a beast howling inside of him and demanding everything. He worshiped her and they both enjoyed it. Why was he reluctant to do it in the first place? Why did he always carry it around with him like a shameful heavy weight. She liked it, he liked it. Everyone was against it, but they were not worth it. His own brother did not believe in his convictions enough to dare and challenge him.

The scent of blood seemed to finally reached his nose and he snapped out of it. "You're okay?"

"You're the one bleeding," she reminded him as she watched the panic form in his dark eyes.

He breathed out loudly and pushed himself up in a sitting position. He was. Why did he forget that? She bit him. Now he remembered. He slapped a hand on his forehead, trying to ease away the haziness that took over his brain. A rage seeped through his blood, but it was not as overwhelming as before. He wanted to bring her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to keep her body close to his. That need was not dying down.

Bura took advantage of his distraction to cup his cheek with her hand. She had enjoyed the way he had taken and teased her body, but she worried. It only confirmed her earliest suspicions; Goten did not feel like Goten.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Goten," she chastised. "You provoked your brother."

"I'm fine." He swallowed hard. "You - hm, your brother is gonna be looking for you."

Usually, she would have screamed at him. He was blatantly trying to get rid of her and she was stunned by his lack of deceit. But she could not yell because his reaction simply increased her worries. He was different. She always wanted him to be different and more accepting of what was happening to them. But this was not it. He did not tear his body from hers, but she could tell he was pulling away. No. She would not let him shame her by forcing her out. She would hold her ground. She chased aside the feeling of uncertainty and instead bent down to snuggle the crook of his neck. He did not move, he did not go stiff. Instead, he basked in her warmth.

Who was he kidding?

He could not ask her to go - he could not let her go.

He was too weak to release her.

-M-


	16. New Saiyan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As most of you probably already know by now, I lost my uncle and godfather last June. And honestly since then, I haven't felt much like writing, and it's been hard to get back into the groove. And since I lost the mood, I've been struggling to find it again. But I do promise nothing will be abandon. I will finish everything, I simply cannot guarantee the speed of the updates. I'm sorry. And thank you all for sticking with me.

The sound of his blood rushing through his veins deafened him while the pounding in his head forced him to cringe. His head _hurt_ , his blood boiled and his hands were desperate to grip around… _something_. The hidden half moon failed to shed any light in his bedroom but his saiyans eyes made up for it. His blue sheets were gathered around his waist while sweat dripped down the muscles of his chest, following every line, every bulge. He swallowed hard, his adam's apple bobbing as he did so. His chest heaved with each heavy breath while he endured the crushing feeling of his lungs when he exhaled. _Why was everything so goddamn painful_?

He ran his sweaty fingers through his sticky hair, flattening them upon his head.

It was not her.

Goten was not plagued by the need to feel Bura's soft naked skin against his. This was something different, this was something new. He recognized that rage when he had fought with his brother the previous day. He wanted to punch someone's face. This was not about fucking her senseless or about tasting every inch of her body. No. His entire body was throbbing, craving for blood. He wanted to run through the town, senseless, and beat everyone who dared to come up too close to him. His fists were trembling by his sides, demanding more than he could offer. He was never a violent person; it was not the way his father taught him. He was only supposed to engage in combat when it was absolutely necessary.

And yet there it was. He needed to feel someone else's blood trickling down his fists, he wanted to feel the bones of a skull give in as he punched it. He needed to calm this beast inside of him and it scared him. The last time he needed something this badly, it was Bura. Unfortunately for all parties involved, he never even stood a chance at resisting her. What if he was doomed to repeat the same fate? What if he unleashed his inner rage - one he did not even know he had - and wrecked havoc amongst the town? What if he became someone he did not even recognize? Fear spread through his body, leaving behind a tingle and a shiver. He could not let this go on.

But how was he supposed to stop it?

Bura could not help.

His father could not help.

His brother? It was probably best if he kept on avoiding him, especially with what took place _last_ time they saw each other. He had yet to make up for that - and part of him did not even want to apologize for his behaviour. His brother stood in his way. He should not dictate how Goten lived his life. Bura was his and he could take her. If he had minded his own business, there would not have been a fight in the first place.

This lack of resources only left him with _one_ person who might know what in the world was happening to him.

The one person who had all the answers from the start; Vegeta.

He gulped.

-M-

The night was cold, the sky dark and engulfing any light that managed to sip through the dark puffy clouds. None if mattered to Goten. His body was coated in layers of sweat as he zipped through the skyline, leaving a trail of light behind him. His only goal, his only focus, was Vegeta. For once, he managed to push Bura far away from his mind, freeing his brain to relish in other thoughts. It relieved him, it took away some of the guilt. However, it did nothing to ease his desire for blood and death. Time blurred by and before he could even realize what was happening around him, he found himself landing on the top of Capsule Corp, a loud thud announcing his arrival.

Of course, his presence had already been noticed long before he even arrived.

Goten did not need to turn around to know that Vegeta stood behind him - probably with his arms crossed in front of his chest in his trademark stance.

"I know why you are here. Go home."

He could not beat the boy the a pulp - it did not mean it was not tempting. Especially since _he_ was provoking him by showing up to _his_ house uninvited. He had felt the boy's power soar through which had initially lead him to believe he was in a fight. How wrong had he been. The boy was here for something entirely different than a fight. Although, it was not a full moon, which meant that Goten's desires should not be this out of control. They were mated, they were copulating; their desires should not keep on heightening. _Why was he here_?

There it was. The nagging rage. The same one he had felt when his brother had told him he had no business being with Bura. Except, this time it was different. Now that the words were coming from Vegeta, he felt he had more control. As though even his instincts knew not to irk the older saiyan. Perhaps it were his survival instincts kicking in.

"I'm not here for her," he let slip through gritted teeth.

Vegeta arched an eyebrow at the words. _Not here for her_. He watched carefully as Goten slowly turned around, his entire body shaking from the immense stress put upon it. His fists were gathered by his ribs, his nose was crunched up while filaments of sweat dripped from his wet bangs all the way to the tip of his nose. His mouth was twisted into a weird curve - one his lips were unfamiliar with. He was like his father, a dumb goof. And yet, it was not a copy of that _idiot_ that stood in front of Vegeta. Instead, for a brief instant, it felt like he was staring at a Saiyan warrior, preparing himself for battle. Yes, this was not Goten, the wimpy child of Kakarot. This was a full blood saiyan ready for blood.

This was why he was here.

Blood rushed through Vegeta's veins as a dark pleasure rose in his chest. This could be a disaster or this could be great.

"When?"

"Couple days ago." Or was it more? When was it that he buried himself inside of his princess after chasing his brother away? _No_ , those were bad thoughts. This was not how he was supposed to refer to this event - but - but… Vegeta's presence was making him _angrier - or_ was it more hungry for blood? There was something about the older saiyan's aura that was reaching out to him. It made him dizzy, it made him… more powerful? He did not even know how to describe this rush of power.

"How?"

"How what?"

"How did it start?"

"I fought with my brother." Why? Why was he having this casual conversation with Vegeta _on top of the roof_? Why wasn't Vegeta fighting him for being so near his precious daughter? And most of all, why was he interested? Goten did come for answers but - but he did not expect to find any. Instead, he expected a fist to the face.

"Why?" Siblings fighting would not bring about this rush of power. He had never seen the boy so out of control. He was certain that if he let him go free, someone would turn up dead tonight - not that he minded. Although, he might hear about it from the woman. It was best to keep him here - away from others.

"He was annoying." His voice was lower, more dangerous than before. Gone was the goofy boy he always was. Then again, the goofy boy died the day he sunk his teeth in Bura's neck.

" _Why_?" He hated it when someone wasted his time.

" _He wanted to take her away_. He was talking trash about her."

There was no need to precise. They both knew who the _her_ was.

"Interesting."

He had to protect Bura - although she hardly required it. Nonetheless, he protected his claim and his mate against his own brother. The boy did not have the spine to do it on his own - he was not saiyan enough. And yet he did. He was not the same as before. Something about him changed - and it all began when Goten put his mark on _his_ daughter. The only context Vegeta knew the mark was on his home planet and there, everybody already acted like a hero. They did not need anyone to change. But it could be possible that acting on Saiyan's instincts _forced_ Goten to become more like one. Vegeta did not want to get too ahead but he did find the idea rather pleasing.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"I will not repeat myself boy."

Although he had already learned as a general rule _not_ to agree with Vegeta, he found that he did not _want_ to argue either. He let his fingers unfold, finally releasing the tension in his digits, leaving a white trail on the skin from the pressure being finally relieved. Then, he proceeded to follow Vegeta, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

-M-

_Twitch._

Something was annoying.

Bura rolled on her stomach, determined to bury her face in her pillow. For the last hour or so something was flickering in her mind, slowly bothering her. She could not figure out what it was, but it was disturbing her much needed rest. Energy was a bit difficult to come by lately, and she had found herself craving long nights of sleep and short power naps throughout the day. Now, however, she could no longer obtain the peacefulness she sought. A muffled groan escaped her before she flipped around on her back, digging her fists in her mattress. Whoever was the source of the disturbance would pay dearly. It was _five_ in the morning for crying out loud.

Once she finally managed to pull herself out of bed, her senses were more accurate and she could tell what was the source of bother; a person. A person who should not be in the house. She always had the basic saiyan instincts but she never developed or used her powers much. It was not because she did not find her strength and abilities interesting but it was mostly because she did not see the point. Plus her father never showed a great interest in training her to be a ruthless warrior and it was just fine that way. It gave her the chance to expand her brain and become a great genius. She could leave the fighting to the _children_.

However, some senses were becoming better than others. Her ki sensing was one of them.

The closer she got to the door, the more she could decipher the energy; it was Goten.

As that realization dawned upon her, she was forced to come to a halt. What was Goten doing in her house, without her present? Not only that but somebody was with him… her dad?

A shiver of fear ran down her spine; this could not end well. She gulped before quietly heading down the hall. How did she miss a fight between those two? It should have been loud and memorable. Unfortunately for Bura, she was not the only one who was alerted by the strange presence in the house. A few meters from the gravity room was her brother. He stood there, staring at the door with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He rarely resembled Vegeta but in that pose with a scold on his face? She could see it. She knew not everything was back to normal concerning her relationship with her brother and between Goten and Trunks but - she had hoped it was better.

"Trunks?"

"Why is he here?"

There was no rage in his voice, no wrath lingering. It was a mix of confusion and annoyance.

He had no invited him. Clearly his sister had no invited him. And for the love of Dende, it sure was not Vegeta who had invited the young saiyan into the house. What happened?

"I don't know. Did dad call him?"

"I wish."

It was half-teasing, half a residual anger but Bura chose not to mention it or single it out. She was not in the mood to fight with her brother at the moment.

"Did you go in?"

"No."

She rolled her eyes; what good did it do to simply stare at a door? If he wanted answers, he should have gone in. It was not that difficult. Faced with her brother's lack of drive, Bura smacked her hand against the sensor, forcing the door open. Her action did not stop the gravity inside the chamber which nearly forced her to collapse. She could not see the number on the control panel, but she could tell there was no chance in hell she could train in that. Unaffected by her struggles, her brother simply walked in, almost unaffected. He did winced and crisp his face as he stepped inside but it did not stop his movements. His father had him training at a higher gravity quite often. Although, it was amusing to see his little sister struggle.

It required Trunks' loud footsteps echoing against the flooring for the two dark haired saiyans to stop their sparring. Vegeta was the first to turn around. His face was covered in cuts and heavy sweat was dragging his shirt down his chest, revealing glistening skin. It had been a while since Bura had seen her father _actually_ get a workout out of sparring. Goku was the only one who could bring it out of him. But now, he was out of breath… And with Goten nonetheless? If she thought their situation was weird, this hit a new level. And since when was her father buddy with Goten? He constantly threatened to end his life… And - no this had to be a messed up dream.

"What do you want boy?"

"What are you doing?"

"It does not concern you."

Trunks' eyes traveled from his father to his best friend. They both look in bit of a rough shape but nothing was due to a combat to the death. "Since when don't you wanna kill Goten?"

"I said, it does not concern you."

Vegeta had yet to fully test his theory and he had no intention of sharing his findings with anyone. If he could finally have a full blooded saiyan to himself, he would not let anyone get in the way. This was a new situation, one he did not know much about and one he could not control. If anyone meddled, it could comprise the entire situation. Also, he knew the friendship his son had with the boy. If Trunks found out about the changes happening to Goten, he might try to stop them.

Trunks quirked an eyebrow. His father was not the most sharing person on the planet, but this felt somehow suspicious. Perhaps it was because it concerned Goten.

He was not one to argue with his father since he had learned at an earlier age that it always led to no good. However, in this particular case, he found it difficult to back down. If there was one stubborn person he knew, it was his father. He did not change his mind easily and Trunks could not comprehend how well he could change his opinion about Goten. Less than a day ago he was ready to rip him to shreds. Things did not add up and he wanted to know what happened between the two of them.

Instead of verbally challenging his father, he simply made eye contact with him and refused to look away. Since Vegeta was proud, he held the gaze.

Bura however, did not fight or challenge like the two of them.

It had taken her a while to scamper back up to her feet, but she had managed it. Sweat was dripping the side of her face and she could feel her wet bangs sticking to her forehead. None of it mattered. She was a woman on a mission and she wanted an answer.

"What is he doing here?"

It was not as though they were in a fight. Although, most of their encounters ended that way. Still, this question, this attitude was not directed towards Goten. It was all about her and her father. He was the one who taught her to go after what she wanted, he was the one who taught her that she could have anything she wanted and that nobody could refuse her. Now, he had to be on the other end of the lesson.

"This does not concern you either."

"Like hell it doesn't concern me."

This was the boy she had to defend from her father, the one she tried to protect more than once. And now they were buddies? No. Yes, it was a much better arrangement but it did not mean she trusted it.

Vegeta did not ally himself with Goku or his kin. He did, for her mother's sake. But, it was not an actual truce.

"Stay out of this. The both of you."

There was an agitation in the air - but it was not coming from the confrontation; it was coming from Goten. He was on edge, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He stared ahead, his eyes moving from Trunks to Bura. Trunks did not irritate him as much as his brother. He was not here to take Bura away. Although, he _was_ intruding. Bura on the other hand - she was _wild._ Rage was seeping through her eyes, her hair out of place from her struggle with the gravity. A gravity he could not even feel.

Vegeta had beaten him to a pulp and yet, he was fine. He wanted more. He wanted to be ordered to fight some more.

Although, at this moment, he would not mind _her_ hands all over him.

" _You're here to fight_."

Vegeta's words snapped him back into reality and he re-focused his attention on the matter at hand. Vegeta had not shared much information with him. As a matter of fact, he had not said anything. He had simply led him into the gravity room and had started landing punches. Somehow, that was enough for him. Somehow, he did not need more than that. It was not a fight about Bura, it was not a fight to show dominance. He was _trying_ to learn something. But he did not know what the older saiyan was seeking.

"Why is he here to fight?"

"You both need to leave. Now."

"I'm not leaving."

"Do not make me throw you out of here, Bura."

Her father did not always use her name but when he did, it did not mean good things for her. It was a challenge and she was never one to back down from a challenge. Conflict arose within her and then, she ended up staying where she was.

His charcoal eyes narrowed and then, he loudly walked over to the control board. He increased the level of the gravity to a point he knew she could not withstand. He never looked at her but he knew he succeeded when he suddenly heard her smack against the floor. It would not hurt her - although it might slightly damage her ego. Even though she was currently laying flat on the ground, he kept on increasing it. His own body felt heavier under the pressure, but he did not stop.

He did however hear footsteps behind him. Goten's.

The saiyan walked over to Bura and once he was in front of her, he crunched to the ground. Despite her pleas to try and push him away, he picked her up from the floor, and carried her out. Once they were closer to the door, she began to kick in his arms to try to free herself. Eventually, he let her down. Her body slipped from his, her tiny fists hitting his chest. He let her express her rag as much as she needed, until she calmed down. She pulled away from him by pushing herself away from his chest. The push was harder than he expected and he slightly backed away into the wall.

"Why are you here?"

Her father might have tricks against her, but it had been proven that Goten could not easily resist her.

"I have to be here."

"Why?"

"I need something."

"You need something?" Now she was irritated. None of those words were answers.

He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. He could not explain it to her because he himself did not know what he was seeking. "Bura, I have to do this. I don't know why, but your father does. I need this."

He was not talking to her like a little girl. He was not talking to her like the girl he got stuck with - or like it was wrong or as if she did not understand. No, he talked to her as though she understood. He was expecting her to understand what he needed. Part of her did not like losing a fight, part of her wanting to fight this regardless but - but she needed this to be more. She did not want her to be the person he went to when he could no longer control himself. She did not want to be the thing he was stuck with forever. She needed this to be something real. She swallowed her pride - which was a very difficult thing to do for her and she nodded.

"Fine."

His shoulders slouched as relief washed over him. "Thank you," he whispered.

Then, he leaned in. His lips gently pressed to her forehead and then, in a blink, he was gone.

-M-

His presence in her house was like a constant nagging feeling.

It was not as though he only ever came over for her. He used to come over for Trunks - all the time. Sometimes, he would not even talk to her. So why was it that it bothered her so much that he was here and she was not the centre of attention? Or was that truly the problem? She could not talk to her father about this whole situation. Well, she could but it was a very sensitive subject - one that neither of them were much at ease discussing - at least not in detail. Now however, Goten was apparently having some bonding time with her father.

Although, she was not jealous of the bonding time. Unlike her brother, her father dedicated her a lot of time outside of training. No the one who was fuming with jealousy at the moment, was her brother. It was much harder for him. He grew up while their father was still adjusting to being a functional wannabe human. He was much harder on Trunks than he ever was on her. Sometimes, she saw glimmers of it. Today, in the gravity room, she saw it in his eyes. Vegeta had not been fighting with Goten to fight. It was not about training him. It was about learning something, about doing something. Her brother did not take it well.

A sigh escaped her lips as she flipped onto her stomach.

Her solution had been to lay around in her bed but it was not helping. Instead, she was insanely bored. And that _nagging_ ki. She grabbed her pillow, shoved it in her face and loudly screamed in it until all the rage left her body. _Stupid Goten_. Stupid eyes, stupid begging. Why did always get her with the begging? She was the cunning one who was supposed to use everything to get her way.

Now her only hope left was that he would come and explain it all to her once his training was done.

Which she assumed it would be soon. Her mother was about to get home. If there was one person her father had no tricks against, it was her mother. And her mother was quite immune to her father's stubbornness.

And Bura was right.

A few hours went by, but she finally felt that familiar ki heading in her direction. He was uncertain and gone was the confidence he had earlier. Instead, she could easily tell he was considering actually leaving and not coming to her. She let her own ki flare, hoping he would understanding it was directed to him. She assumed he did once he steadily headed in her direction without any waving in his ki signature.

There was a soft knock on the door and she scoffed. Her eyes were rolled as she hopped to her feet and headed to the door. She opened it but she did not grace him with a glance. If he wanted her good mood, he would have to work for it. After all, he was part of the reason she was this irritated. She walked back to her bed and plopped back down on it. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, forcing her breasts up and creating a cleavage outside of her shirt. Then, she narrowed her eyes and waited for him to talk.

 _He looked bad_.

He had bruises everywhere, he had a black eye and the side of his neck was covered in blood. _What in the heck had happened to him_? She would not let her curiosity get the best of her but it was hard not to wonder.

And why in the world would he let her father do that to him?

"I can leave."

 _He was so fucking infuriating_.

"If that's what you want."

"Is it what you want?"

It was strange. He never learned to properly talk to her ever since the shift in their relationship. Also, Bura was known for her moodiness; he never knew which side of her he was going to get. Although, he could admit that the current situation he found himself in was his fault. He simply did not know how to explain it to her. It was something new, just like what they had. Sparring with Vegeta was something he needed. Though, it was much more than sparring. It was the order he barked at him, the way of training he showed him. The lessons he had were from his father and they were much different. They always used to suit him but - now? It felt like he needed more.

He needed someone to show him the way to hell and back.

"I don't want anything from you."

He chuckled. That fire, that attitude. It was a trigger.

Silence settled between them but she seemed more bothered by it than he was. It almost appeared as though he found it amusing. How could he think this was amusing?

"What happened to your face?"

"Your dad."

"Why?"

He finally took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

"Because there is something wrong with me."

"There are many things wrong with you," she said as she glanced away from his face.

There were. There was no denying it. Even now, despite everything that happened, he was torn. He wanted her comfort, he wanted the solace that she brought him but at the same time, that guilt, the one that refused to leave, hung there, in the pit of his stomach. He wanted her and he did not want to want her. But, he had long ago given up on the thought of running away from her. It never worked and it only hurt him. Giving him was better, less painful.

He plopped down beside her, staring at the back of her neck.

"I want blood."

She quirked an eyebrow but refused to turn her head; she did not want him to know he had her interest.

"I wanted to kill someone, I wanted to fight someone until they were a bloody pulp."

Goten was kind, Goten was full of mercy. He was not someone who looked for a fight. He was someone who would avoid a fight. It was the way his father taught him.

"So I came here. And I think your dad knows what's up with me."

"What's wrong with you?" her voice was softer this time.

She had seen a different side of him lately but she did not think much of it. However, it now seemed like a much serious problem.

Bura's answer came in the form of a kiss. She felt cold lips touch her neck as he began peppering her neck with soft kisses. She leaned her head away from, offering more skin to caress and he took advantage of it. None of that was an answer and yet, her blood began racing and her mind swirled. Did she truly want an answer? Was there even an answer? Whatever was happening to them was intense. She pursued him with an intensity she did not even know she had. She went after him, throwing away her pride and any sense of respect. She had simply wanted her prey and did everything she could to get it.

After a few minutes, she let herself get lost into the gestures. She fully turned around and planted her lips upon his. He did not waste any time in laying her down on the bed, snuggling himself between her warm legs. His blood was still _pumping_ from the sparring and he could not think of a single other way he would rather spend the energy he had left. _He should not do this but he wanted to do this_. And a saiyan should do as he pleased.

A saiyan should take what he wanted.

A saiyan should have it all because nobody can stop a saiyan.

His heartbeat echoed in his ears as his hands traveled to her waist, squeezing her and pressing her against his hard body.

He _was_ a saiyan. And he _would_ have it all.


	17. Flash of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Don't ask, just roll with it. I get these up and downs and then it's like UPDATE EVERYTHING. And then it's like UPDATE NOTHING. I need help.

Blood dripped from his chin, leaving a trail of warmth behind, while he collapsed on the ground beneath him. The grass was soft and cool has it brushed up against his abused flesh. At the moment, he could barely see out of his right eye. Vegeta had successfully beaten the crap out of him and he did not care. He needed more. He wanted a fight, he wanted to push through someone's chest and rip their heart out. Vegeta had yet to explain what they were doing and Goten had yet to ask. Somehow, obtaining answers was not as important was before. He did not _need_ to know. He just had to _do_ what he needed. When he sparred with Vegeta he forgot about all of it; the guilt, the remorse and the pain.

It made him feel alive again.

She made him feel alive as well - except, he had only seen her in passing.

After the night he showed up in her room and took her… he had been busy. Vegeta had trained him past the point of exhaustion every night. He constantly found himself wondering if he could even make it back home. His body ached everywhere and he could not ask for more.

Today was the first time he finished his training early - and it was only because Vegeta _disliked_ his mother.

Chichi had called Bulma, telling her they were having a family dinner and she expected _him_ to be there. Vegeta did not seem in the mood to hear an earful from his mother and thus, let him finish early. Now, he was trying to lessen the bloodlust, the need to fight, before he came face to face with his older brother. Their last meeting had been less than pleasant and he did not expect this one to be any better. Actually, now that Goten had a new found rage inside of him, it was going to be worse. There was no way Gohan was going to forgo his morale compass and _talk it out_. That boat had sailed. He just - could not understand the complexity of the situation.

The guilt was there, it was always there.

But he took. And he went back - and he acted like he could do it all.

He wanted to do it all.

He had long ago learned to surrender. It did not matter what he told himself or what he did; he always ended up right back between her legs. A growl rumbled through his chest and he slapped his palm down on his own face. _It was not the time to be thinking this_. Especially considering the warning Vegeta had given up. Tonight was a full moon and the older saiyan did not want to see him in his house. He had meant to scoff and sneer at Vegeta, but he had known better. He owed him more respect than that. He was the Prince. And that provoked a duality in him. Bura was his. Anytime anybody tried to take her away from him, it unleashed a rage inside of him. But when Vegeta demanded he stayed away? _A part of him knew he had to listen_.

How could he listened to Vegeta, someone with whom he never had a good relationship but he provoked his own brother?

Why did he want more than he should?

Why was he not himself?

A sigh escaped his lips before he tore himself from the refreshing feeling of the grass. He had to get ready or his mother would have his head. Part of him wished Bura could be there with him to lessen the tension he felt swirling inside of him. But her presence would only make the whole _debate_ much worse than it already was.

Minutes turned into hours and before Goten knew it, he was standing in front of his mother's door. A dreadful feeling shook him to his core as he lifted his hand to knock on the door. He could already feel Gohan's disturbed ki inside - and his father's. Since when did his father even bother to come to these things? He was not one to get involve into the family's life. However, he was excellent at leaving and training far away from them. Perhaps his father's presence would keep Gohan's temper in check. Although he doubted.

A few seconds after his knock echoed through the small house, his mother appeared in front of him. Her eyes were narrowed, forming more wrinkles around them. _Gohan had talked to her about their previous little exchange_. Great. This was not a dinner, this was an intervention. Something screamed at him to leave and never come back but somehow he still ended up walking into the house. The first person he made eye contact with was his brother. Gohan's dark eyes were harsh as he passed judgement upon Goten. Goten's instincts were rising up to the surface, and he was certain everyone could feel the shift in his ki. _Everyone except his mother_.

He expected his mother or his brother to speak first, but he was wrong.

His father broke the ice.

"Woaw, when did you get so strong?"

Goku's eyes were widely opened as he stared down at his son. He quickly began walking around him, observing him from up and down. Once he was done, he stood in front of him with his familiar grin and scratched the back of his head. "I didn't know you had been training like that! Who's been teaching you?"

" _Not Bura that's for sure_." And there it was. His brother's disdain. As if he needed it.

"Vegeta has been training me."

He should not say it. Wait. Why not? Vegeta might not speak highly of his father but Goku always considered Vegeta a friend. Why would his father be upset about this? After all, it was not as though Goku had even been greatly involved in his training. He had done most of his sparring with Trunks. And his father had missed a huge part of his life.

"Vegeta's training you? Woah." He turned around to look at Chichi. "See, I told you he was a good guy."

His father could not comprehend the whole situation or the awkwardness of it but for once, Goten was grateful. He did not need one more person telling him how to act and how to live. He had enough with his brother - he apparently thought he was his father. He was not.

"Vegeta. Training you."

Goten turned his head to make eye contact with his brother. "Yes, do you have a problem with that too?"

A long, loud sigh was exhaled and Chichi got in between both of her sons. This was not why she was doing this. She did not want more fighting; she wanted them to make up. So far, she had kept herself cool and collected but that could easily change. " _No fighting_." She wagged her finger at Gohan, her eyes more narrowed than before. "I warned you before your brother's arrival."

She had heard the fight. She had heard what had been said. However, she had not been present when it happened. They were brothers; they were bound to fight but this was something different. Goten was different. And she would be damned if she let that ruin the whole family life she had worked so hard to create and preserve over the years. She might not have gotten much help from Goku but it did not mean it could not be done. Her boys were raised better than this and damn it, they were not going to act like some animals. She did not care if they were part saiyan. They were raised on earth and they should know better than to listen to their animalistic side.

"This was a bad idea," Gohan said as he rose to his feet. He did not even know how he let his mother talk him into this. Goten had made it very clear to him that _talking_ was no longer an option. Only provocation was. And his little brother seemed to excel at it now.

" _Nobody is leaving until I say so_ ," Chichi screeching forced everyone to stiffen. They knew what that tone meant. _All of them_. Gohan sat back down, while Goten and Goku plopped down on the nearest seat.

"I don't know what's going on and I don't care. This senseless fighting ends now." She exhaled before running her palm across her hair, smoothening back down. "Now, Goten. You will apologize to your brother."

Goten arched an eyebrow. "Why should I?"

"Because you're being a prick."

"Language," warned Chichi. Sometimes she wondered how she raised those boys.

"I'm being perfectly fine. You're the one who decided my life affects you." When everything had gone to shit, he had no one. No one to help him through it, no one to talk to - he had been by himself.

"Your life does affect me when you making stupid decision like fucking little girls."

" _She's not a little girl_."

"She's 16 years old for fuck's sake."

"ENOUGH!"

Chichi's cheeks were red while steam was ready to pop from her ears. "You two need to figure out a way to talk to each other without _cursing_. You need to have a conversation."

"I can't have a conversation with him, mom. He thinks he's so much better and he thinks he knows everything."

"I know that you're messed up for being in love with a 16 years old child."

His hand crisped, his vein in his forehead began to tremble and he wanted to land a punch. " _I DON'T LOVE HER."_ Screaming those words brought him physical pain. It crushed his heart and he was forced to lean back into his chair.

"What?" Confusion danced upon Chichi's future as she tried to put the pieces together.

"I don't love her. We got affected, we fucked and we got stuck. Are you HAPPY?" he yelled at his brother. "I never had feelings for her. I lost control, it happened and now we're stuck. We didn't want this." He turned to his mother. "We're not getting married mom. We're just mated."

"I saw you with her."

"Because I want her. Because she's mine." There was a veil of dizziness taking over his mind; was he not saying opposite things? Was he not saying that he did not want her but that he did? "And how would you know what the fuck went down? You weren't there. You were there to judge me but you weren't there to be my brother."

He flew on his feet, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He wanted to punch him. He wanted to break his nose and fly out of here. His hand fisted by his side while he trembled, barely holding on to his self control. "You _weren't_ there. You didn't ask. You didn't do anything. Because you think you're so much better than everyone else." He leaned to the left, looking at his father who was quietly sitting down, not pitching in to the conversation. "And you weren't there either." He scoffed. "Nobody, fucking asked me. You just judge me. You think I wanted this. You think I wanted to have Vegeta beat me to a pulp. You think I wanted to fuck a girl I thought was like a sister. I DIDN'T. I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS."

They stared at him, eyes wide open but none of them said anything. Perhaps it was because of the halo of light that had begun to surround him, the one he did not even realize he had created. Had he powered up? He did not know. "But she's _mine_. And that's how it is. So if you have a problem with it, you can fuck off. I'm not gonna walk away from her."

Those were the last words he spoke before flying out, never looking back.

He did not need them.

He did need his thoughts to make sense though.

Why did he want none of it and all of it all at once?

-M-

_"Hi Goten!"_

_"Hey B."_

_Bura pinched her lips together as she leaned back against the wall. As soon as she had heard her brother's friend arrived, she had rushed downstairs. She had been waiting for his arrival all day. It had taken her a lot of time to get ready and she did not want to waste a moment. Her mother had taught her how to do her hair and her make up a long time ago. Of course, that did not mean that at 13 years old, she was allowed to go out dolled up all the time. There were rules and restrictions but now? She was at home. There was no harm in… improving her looks a little. Plus, if her mother asked she would simply say that she was practicing all the skills she had taught her. It was a believe lie no?_

_The hard part had been the clothes. Unlike her mother, she did not have a lot going on in the chest area. Her mother had often told her not to worry and that her breasts would eventually come in but she was giving up hope. So, she tried to put on display as much as she could… but it did not do much. Hopefully it would be enough for Goten to notice. He was older than her and he had access to women that looked a lot better than she did but… he always been around. Although he always called her kiddo. She was hoping her new look might change his mind. She was 13 years old. She was a teenager, almost a woman. He could not keep treating her like she was 5 years old. She would not have it._

_"Are you waiting for Trunks?"_

_"Yea," he answered as he kept roaming through the fridge. Man, he had sparred with his brother and he was starving. Capsule Corp was like a second home to him and he felt quite at ease in the kitchen._

_Once he finally found a sandwich in the fridge, he closed the door and his eyes finally landed on Bura. And her strange attire. She was wearing very short shorts wished allowed for her long legs to go on for miles. Unlike most girls her age, she was tall. Which was surprising considering how short her father was… On top of the shorts, she had a small crop top that revealed her belly button along with…a sort of cleavage? Which really looked more like two small breasts extremely pushed together. And then - she was wearing way too much make up for her age. Her brother would not allow his 12 years old niece to be out and about with this much make up. Not that Pan was even interested in make up in the first place. The two girls were close in age but they were not close like Trunks and Goten were._

_"What's up?" he asked, finally looking at her face._

_He noticed. Although, judging from his expression, she did not know if it was a good thing. "Just waiting."_

_"For?" he asked as he took his first bite of his sandwich._

_..What exactly was she waiting for? Him. Well, she couldn't exactly tell him that. Through the years, she had managed to hide the feelings she had for him. He never treated her like anything but a sister. Maybe it was because he could not consider her - they would not let him. Granted, there was a big age difference but did it really mean anything? She was going to outlive everybody and so was he. She was not human and neither was he. This was okay. She just needed to show him she was a potential candidate. And nobody turned down Bura Briefs._

_"My boyfriend." Bad lie, bad lie._

_"Your boyfriend?" he asked with an eyebrow arched. Since when did Bura have a boyfriend? Actually, since when did Trunks and Vegeta even allow her to speak with boys? He was pretty sure he was one of the few unrelated males she was allowed around. Her father did not enjoy horny young boys around his daughter. Heck, he did not even like it when Goten was around her._

_"Yea, it's new." Ah fuck. If that news got back to her parents or her brother she would never hear the end of it._

_"Did you meet him at school?"_

_"Sort of."_

_He nodded, finishing up his sandwich. "What's his name?"_

_"Why? So you can tell my brother?"_

_Touché. But it was not why. She might not be his sister per say but it did not mean that he wanted her roaming the streets with whomever. He cared about her and he wanted to ensure her safety. He had been young and he knew how 14 years old boys thought. It was not good._

_"Why did you say sort of?"_

_"Because."_

_Wait. "Is he older?"_

_"Maybe."_

_This time his expression shifted. "How old?"_

_"None of your business." Once the words were spoken, she flipped her hair, and turned around. She swayed her hips as she walked away from him, hoping he had not seen the blush on her cheeks. She should have known better than to try and lie. How come Goten could break down her facade? She could fake in front of anybody else. As soon as she was far enough from him, she pressed her back against the wall and let out a sigh._

_"How old?" she whispered to herself. "24 years old."_

_And she only wished he was her boyfriend._

Bura sat up in her bed, droplets of sweat dripping down her back. Why was she thinking about this now? Why was this insignificant memory flashing through her mind? Maybe - maybe it was a bad dream. She did not need any recollection of how badly Goten did not care, how badly he did not want her. Although, he had been a bit more forceful lately. More demanding. She imagined it had something to do with all the time he was spending with her father but he had yet to share what was going on. Probably because he did not know. She could not picture her father as the sharing type.

She sighed as she sleeked back her wet bangs.

This would not do. She was just as exhausted as when she had first laid down. How was her rest disrupted so much? If Goten had been the one with the disrupted sleep she would have understood but… he did not know the tricks she knew. He could not possibly use it against her. Plus, it was not like he probably remembered that memory. How could he? He never knew that she was in love with him. He never knew all the things she did to get a moment of his attention. He always pushed her aside like she was nothing but a little annoying kid. And now, now he was hers but not because she had won.

And it was the part that hurt the most.

She groaned as she collapsed back unto the bed, burying her face into the nearest pillow. _Sleep was good and sleep was bad._

She had everything she had every wanted but… She hated her life.

_"I don't know. The women in your family have a scary temper."_

_Trunks chuckled as he plopped down on the couch. "I don't know. I find that it's nothing compared to Paris' screeching voice."_

_"Come on, she's not that bad."_

_"Not that bad? She drags you along like a little puppy."_

_Goten's expression turned sour. He knew his best friend was not the biggest fan of Paris, but he did not see the need to bash her every time he could. Yes, it was easy to seduce girls but the whole girlfriend department was a whole other story. It was even either when they knew your best friend was Trunks Briefs. He loved him like a brother but - his millionaire playboy status could sometimes get in the way. He never knew if a girl was interested in him or using him to get to Trunks. It had made him a bit paranoid. He wanted a girl who saw him and only him. Despite the fact that he might not have as much to offer… And Paris, she saw him. Only him. She never wanted Trunks, she barely even looked at him. And that made his chest swell with pride._

_A girl who only had eyes for him._

_He felt wanted. For more than a night or for more than just using him._

_But that was not something he could explain to Trunks without getting to a topic he wanted to avoid._

_And so he said nothing._

_"Fine, fine, I'll stop," Trunks said when he noticed his best friend had gotten quiet. "How about a beer?"_

_"Sounds good," Goten said as he let his trademark grin take over his face. He did not want to sour the moment._

_Trunks nodded and hopped to his feet before heading to the kitchen, disappearing from the view. Meanwhile, Goten leaned his head back and closed his eyes, letting his heart rate finally slow down. Man, it had been a while since they had sparred like that. The older they got, the harder it was to find time to hang out. Goten did not have as much responsible as Trunks but still. His friend had to be everywhere at once and he had to do it all. He had to live up to the Briefs name. Also, he was quite the man whore, which occupied a bit of his time. He did not think Trunks would ever settle down._

_As he was about to let his sleepiness take him, he felt a surge of ki. He almost opened his eyes when suddenly something collapsed upon his chest. He winced before opening his eyes, the air knocked out of his lungs. He tried to breathe out but he could not. Not what that sight in front of him. Two large breasts were shoved in his face while hard nipples were pressing against the tight fabric of a red shirt. He tried to look away but a jolt traveled through him as he got an eyeful of the beautiful swaying breasts in front of him._

_"Sorry."_

_That voice he did recognize. And as soon as he made the link between the breasts he was staring at and the voice he was hearing he chastised himself. He immediately stared up, only to find himself looking straight into Bura's blue eyes. She was still trying to steady herself, her arms on each side of his head as she used the couch to do so. Bad. Bad. Bad. He had been looking down Bura's shirt? When did she even get breasts like that? Oh god, he was disgusted with himself. She was barely sixteen? Or was she still fifteen? It did not matter. He was disgusting for simply considering it. Oh god. He was going to hell._

_Bura tried to not let the shame show as she pulled herself from him. She had tried to be sneaky and undetected. She meant to plop down beside him but her foot got caught in the rug which completely ruined everything. Dende, she was an idiot. The worst kind. This was not the kind of impression she wanted to leave. "I, I'm - sorry." She never said sorry this much of her entire life._

_"It's fine, I hm, I was going. Trunks is waiting for me in the kitchen." He was not. That was a lie. A lie he was using to hide away his shame._

_"Oh," was all she had time to say before he walked away._

_Great. She screwed it up._

_She was Vegeta's daughter. She was supposed to have more pride than this - and she was supposed to get what she wanted. How come he kept slipping through her fingers? Why could she not get a break?_

Again, a vivid dream tore Bura out of her sleep. And this time, it was panic she felt as she opened her blue eyes. She did not remember this whole memory. She remembered tripping and falling on him as she was trying to be sneaky but she did not remember… the beginning. This was not _her_ memory.

What the fuck was going on?

-M-

_Can you come over?_

That was all his text said. Bura had considered not going but she was too curious to pass up the opportunity. It was rare that he reached out to her and she wanted to know what happened. Especially since he was constantly over at her house now… so why was he not today? She had heard her father and him spar earlier during the day but he had left quite early. Had her father chased him away or had he finally gotten the answer he had been looking for? Maybe it was what she wanted to find out. Plus, sneaking out had been quite easy. The full moon was high up in the sky and her father had already finished his training. She shivered at the thoughts she did not want to have. Then again, she could not judge; she herself was a victim of the moon.

Once she reached his house she immediately let herself in. She thought about knocking but - but she wanted to assert a sense of belonging. Should she not be able to come in as she pleased? _They were stuck right_. This would be it, forever. Although she hoped it would not be. This bittersweet victory was draining her. Sometimes she gained ground but she could not help but know she had to thank the full moon for it. None of it was because of her. Nothing of what she had done before had brought her to this moment. It was simply his saiyan instinct that made her win. Sometimes she thought back about what her mother and father said, about him having feelings for her already but…

There was no proof of that.

"Hey," she said as she made her way to the kitchen.

He stood there, a knife in one hand and a tomato in the other. "Hey."

He had heard her arrive and he had heard her walk in. He needed to talk to her and he did not know how to do it. Ever since they were bonded, many strange things had started to happen to him. Sometimes he thought it was the bond and other times he thought he was losing his mind. At the sight of her, it was hard not to crush the tomato to a pulp. The full moon might not make him lose his mind anymore but it did heighten his desires. And controlling himself around her had proven to be quite difficult. He was also still riled up about his family, the way Gohan did not want them together and - and he was bothered by what he had screamed.

It was the truth though, was it not? He felt nothing more than family love for her before. And now, now well - his feelings were distorted. But that was neither of their fault.

Or was it?

That was why he asked her over.

"Something weird happened."

"Something weirder than everything else that has already happened?"

"Yea."

Why was his voice so serious. Last time he had used that voice on her, he had taken her body over and over again. He had used a selfishness and a dominance she did not know he had. Goten was not the Goten she knew. He was changed, he was different. And she could not figure out if it was a side effect or it was permanent. Also, did she like it or did she not? She did like it better when he was not fighting against her, when he was not throwing morales and goodness at her. She liked it better when he let himself feel what he wanted to feel. Although, should she be scared? Would it make their whole situation worse than it already was?

As if that was possible.

"Did you, did you dream?"

And her heart skipped a beat. "Dream?"

"Yea, dreams of a memory. Actually more than once."

At first, he had not been sure. After all, he had experienced a few strange things - including his weird awake visions of her naked body. And he had fallen prey to them. The dreams he had earlier felt as real as those. For a second, he had been confused, wondering where he was. Past or present? He knew those moments. He had lived them. Although they came with a few details he did not remember; like her thoughts, her feelings. He saw her perspective. Was he supposed to? Was it even real?

He saw it too? Oh god, he saw it too.

He saw what she saw? Did he saw what she thought, what she felt? Ever since this whole ordeal had begun, she had maintained a straight face. She had acted as though she had no feelings and as if she was in charge. It had worked for her. He had never seen her weakness, he had never seen everything she kept from him. She did not want to be the weak one, she wanted to be the strong one, the winner. He could not take this away from her.

"No."

"Liar."

She narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Liar. You're nervous." He finally dropped his knife and focused his full attention on her. "It was real."

"Who was the 24 years old Bura?"

He remembered her saying that. He knew - a part of him knew. But he did not want to know. He wanted her to say it because he wanted her to deny it. He wanted it to be wrong.

"Someone."

"Who?"

" _YOU_! It was YOU." She screamed out, forcing redness upon her cheeks.

She hated him. She wanted to punch him for humiliating her like this. He wanted it to be known that she was the one with the feelings. And even if she had not admitted to it, he would have known. Her mind was betraying her. It was the bond, it had to be. Her father had not warned her that it could turn against her. But, damn it, she was proud and she would continue to be. The truth was known and she would not hide. But she would hate him for it.

"Why?"

"Why what?" she spat out.

He thought - he did not know what he thought. He screamed loudly that neither of them wanted this, that there were no feelings involved. And yet, there were. He thought maybe when she was kid that _maybe_ she had a little crush. But she was a little kid and that was what little kids did. He never thought it evolved or that it followed around while she age. What was he supposed to do with this? Was it why it happened? She felt something for him and the full moon blew it out of proportion? Could she not see that it had been wrong, that he had been too old for her?

"I'm too old for you."

"Oh cut the crap." The two of them could play this game. If he wanted to get dirty, she could do the same. "And what, I was too young for you to get excited by my breasts?"

The words he wanted to speak were stuck in his throat.

"It works both way buddy. I know you got pretty _hard_ from my chest being shoved in your face."

She thought it had been a fantasy, something she wished would have happened but he confirmed it was all real. Despite everything he said, all that he proclaimed, he did feel _something_. Maybe it was just sexual, maybe he had just found her body bangeable, but it was something and she would not let it go. Especially not when he had so much he could use against her.

"A little too old to wanna bang a 16 years old no?" Her words were cold and full of venom.

She made him lose his control - a control he already lost so easily now. He was fire and wilderness and everything could set him off in a heartbeat.

"I didn't know it was you," he spoke in a husky voice as he closed the distance between them.

"And why does that matter?"

"I wouldn't have if I had known."

"Why not?"

He was standing in front of her, so much taller and sturdier. She should have felt little and weak but it was the opposite; she felt like she had all the power.

"Because it was you."

"And why not me."

"Because."

"And why me now?"

She was asking the questions he did not want to answer. Why was it okay to look at her breasts when she was not Bura, and then it was not. And why could he fuck her senseless now? She was so near and it made his body tremble with a familiar need. One he learned not to fight a long time ago.

He lifted a hand, putting it to her chest. Then, he slid it up, made his way to her fragile, slender neck. She was no human but at full power he could crush her. He wrapped his fingers around her neck, his index covering the mark he had left on her. She never moved and she never broke the gaze; she was too proud to do so.

"Because now you're mine."

And he was lost.

And he did not know anymore.

But he knew he wanted to be inside of her.

-M-


	18. Broken Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/2 WOOOOO.

_"I can't see! TRUNK, I can't see!"_

_"Then maybe you shouldn't be so short," replied her brother with a zest of annoyance in his voice._

_He had been forced to take her to the zoo as per his mother's orders. Bura had wanted to go for a long time now, but his parents did not have the time to take her. Actually, his mother did not want to - it was simply best for everyone's safety if his father did not take her. That left him. And despite the fact that he had argued tooth and nail, there he was, at the fucking zoo with his bratty little sister. It was not like he hated her but, at 17 years old, his favorite activity was not to take his 6 years old sister to the zoo. At the very least he had managed to convince Goten to tag along. It might the whole day a little less painful._

_"Come on, Trunks," Goten argued._

_He stared down at the little girl, her blue eyes shining with tears. Bura always got her way through two mechanisms; she either cried or she yelled. She usually started with the tears and the cute eyes - since that one was deadly on her father - and then, if it failed, she moved on to the deadlier trick she had already learned through her mother. Vegeta and Trunks usually moved a lot faster when the Briefs women were shouting. And the tiny little six years old was no exception._

_"I'm not picking her up," stated Trunks as he crossed his arms in front of his chest like his father always did. He already had to be here, he had done his part. He did not need to go above and beyond. Couldn't he have jut gotten a little brother? It would have all been much simpler that way._

_Goten sighed, feeling a little aggravated with his friend. He knew that Trunks did not actually hurt his little sister or anything but they were raised a little differently. The Briefs family were a little more goal oriented while his mother had prone the family life. They did not always all agree with it but it made no difference - they spent a lot of time together. He had also been stuck babysitting Pan more than once. He had also learned that the fits lasted less time if Bra got her way. Plus, all she wanted to do was see right?_

_He bent down to her level, looking straight into her little blue orbs. "Wanna go on my shoulders?"_

_Immediately the tears stopped and she dried up her eyes. A huge grin beamed on her face and she nodded vigourously. Goten could not help but chuckle at her reaction. He turned around, his back facing her and he let her up on his shoulders. She wrapped her chubby arms around his neck, clasping her fingers together and he slid his arms around her legs. Once she was steady, he lifted himself off the ground, taking her along with him._

_Finally, the whole world was opened up to her and she clapped her hands together in joy. "T'ank you 'Ten."_

_He smirked. "You're welcome princess."_

Goten hid his face in his hand as he sat the kitchen table, attempting to eat his breakfast. His head was _killing_ him. There was a deep throbbing vibrating through his brain and it had kept him up all night. The only time he had managed to find some kind of rest was when he dreamed. Actually, he no longer qualified those as dreams; they were memories. He did not know why he was being flooded with them but he did know he had no control over them. All he could do was be a helpless victim while they invaded his mind and his sleep.

And boy did he need sleep.

His body had been pushed to the limit more than once while he trained with Vegeta and yet, he always pushed himself further and further. How could he not realize he had a breaking point?

Plus, his situation was Bura was more complicated than ever and that did also force him to push himself further. The fact that she could see _inside_ of his head was really troublesome. It also showed him thoughts he did not know he had. It also showed him that she had feelings for him for a long time. They had avoided that conversation all together and instead, they had focus on the effects of the moon. Once again, he had buried himself deep inside of her and he had claimed what he kept saying was his. He meant to be more clear headed when he was around her but he could never control himself. He had a desire deep inside to claim her.

But they needed to talk.

Their first time- she had made it sound like such a mistake - and now he was finding out that after all this time, she had feelings for him.

There was another question though…

How had he been so oblivious to her feelings until now? Not only that… he used to call her princess. When she was a child. He was disgusting.

He groaned loudly as he pushed his plate out of the way. Then, he proceeded to banging his forehead on top of his wooden table. He was being torn apart from all side and he did not know how long he could keep going with this. There had to be a way to talk without him putting his hands on her. Maybe having her father there would help… Then again, Vegeta would probably not be the biggest fan of that idea.

And he was not a fan of giving answers either.

He was fucked.

And not in the good sense.

-M-

"Speak or quit staring."

Vegeta shoved another mouthful of egg in his mouth as he avoided staring at his daughter. She had been looking at him intensively for the past thirty minutes and it was starting to be annoying. He knew she wanted something - but he knew her better than this. She usually was not the type to wait and lurk. If she wanted something, she was known as someone who went and got what she wanted. Except when it came to that fool but that was something he was glad for - this disaster _could_ have happened sooner and he would not have wanted that. Things were good the way they were now.

Bura popped her lips in annoyance. He knew what she wanted - she wanted what she had always wanted; answers. For the first time, nobody else was around them. Her brother was at work, so was her mother and Goten was in his own house instead of here, annoyingly training with her father.

It was _talk_ time.

"Why are you training him?"

"Doesn't concern you."

"It does."

And he stopped replying. He had learned through numerous fight with her mother that - a never ending conversation was never good. And he would always end up losing.

" _Daddy_ ," she whined. If he would not cooperate, she would result to using dirty tricks. He had thought her to win, no matter the methods she had to use and it was exactly what she was going to do.

"I am training him."

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "I know. I'm asking why."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because, he's always here. And you hate him. You wouldn't train him for no reason." To this day, she was still surprised he had not killed him, bond be damned. Then again, her father really had a soft spot for her.

"He needs to learn."

"You never cared about _Kakarot's annoying spawn_ and his fighting skills before."

"He wasn't mated to my daughter before."

Touché. "Still, there has to be a reason you're doing this daddy. And Goten is -"

How could she say this without bringing up a lot of very awkward moments her father probably did not want to hear about? That was difficult.

"He's what?" It was the first thing she said that attracted his attention. He knew he had noticed the changes and the need for blood, but he did not figure those were things she would pick up upon.

"He keeps fighting with his brother, and he's just…" Angrier was not the word she was looking for. "He's less docile." That worked right?

Kakarot's children had inherited his stupid, weak nature. But it was not the original saiyan way. Goten was indeed finally embracing the way he should have been acting from the start which was a refreshing change coming from that family of lunatic.

"He's more saiyan," he finally said.

More saiyan. She dared to bother those words for a second; had he been acting more like her father and her brother? _Yes_. In a sense. But then… "Why?"

Vegeta did not want to share with anyone what he was learning. But, his daughter was not anyone. And she was looking at him with those stupid eyes she had inherited from her mother. "He's becoming more saiyan."

"What?"

He blinked. " _You heard me._ "

"But what does that mean - and how?"

"The bond. He's acting more on instincts."

Saiyan instincts which were something that went completely against who he was as a person and what he was raised to be. It did explain all of his recent outbursts and the way he was more demanding with her. Although, she was not convinced it was a good thing. She did like it better when he was not fighting her, or not fighting them but… she did fall in love with Goten for a reason. She loved who he was, his gentle nature and how he cared about everyone else - sometimes even more than he cared about himself and his own safety and happiness. It was not as though she did not love her father or she despised her brother but they were a bit more harsh.

He was the opposite and that woke something inside of her. She would not forgo her own attitude for nothing but - but she liked having him being so different from her.

And now he was going to lose all that?

"Can it be stopped?"

Vegeta arched an eyebrow. "Stopped?" Why would she want to stop it? Finally someone else would be a real saiyan. It would be new and refreshing.

How could she have this conversation with her father without saying things he would not want her to say? Oh, it hardly mattered. What was done, was done. "Daddy, I like Goten the way he is."

"The more saiyan he is, the easier it'll be." He was going to pretend she had not just said that because he did not want to hear that. He knew it was done and they were bonded forever but - he would never have to be _happy_ about it.

"I don't want easy if I get a cheap win."

And that he could understand. He disliked victories that were given to him by technicalities. He did not want doubts when he won - he wanted everyone to be convinced that he was the real winner. She got that from him.

"I don't know," he finally answered quietly. Although they all looked up to him when it came to saiyan knowledge, he did not know it all. He had been young - and every saiyan he had ever known… was acting like a saiyan. He could not tell how far this would go and how much he would change. "It might be better if he stopped running from the bond."

The more he pushed against it, the more his own saiyan mind was trying to pull the two of them together.

"He has to stop fighting it?" She groaned.

He was going to end up like a real saiyan. Because that would be the only thing that would force Goten to let go of his stupid, useless morales. They were screwed now.

-M-

This was a bad idea - and he knew it was a bad idea but he was doing it regardless. His hands were fumbling at his sides while he stared at his mother's front door. _He had to come in here_. Once again, he had been plagued by a memory dream and he - he needed to see something. Unfortunately for him, a lot of his things from his younger years were still at his mother's house. She had wanted to keep them, and honestly, to him, it hardly mattered where they were because he did not want them. She could keep them. Except now. Because now he wanted them - now he needed them. He sighed before running his fingers through his dark locks.

The last time he was there, it had not ended well. At least his older brother was not there this time. It would make it easier to deal with his mother.

As he was about to take a step forward, the door flew open. "Goten!" His father beamed as he rushed towards him. "See, I told you Chichi. Goten _is_ here."

Right. His father was there too. Although, he would hardly be the one to get involved in a conversation. Especially since he probably did not grasp the severity of the situation. "Hey dad."

"Did you want to spar?"

Oh boy he did. He really did. Especially since he had skipped his last three days of training with Vegeta. But he could not. Vegeta could handle the novelty of his new _instincts_ but he did not want anyone else to know there was something wrong with him. His father was maybe not the smartest tool in the shed, but he was hard to beat when it came down to fighting. If they sparred, he would notice that something was wrong with him and he could not let that happen.

"Nah, actually, I just wanted to talk to mom."

"To me?" Chichi spoke as she came in view.

"Look, ma. I wanted to apologize." No he did not. His brother was a dick and Bura was his and - and everyone could go fuck themselves. There was a part of him that wanted to speak all of those words but the rational side of him actually knew better than to blow up at his mother. Instead, he felt the apologize route was much better if he wanted to gain access to what he was looking for.

"If you think an apology is going to cut it…" she said with her arms crossed in front of her.

"I know…"

"You need to apologize to your brother."

This was not something he could agree to, not even if he needed his mother's blessing to go inside. Gohan _was_ wrong and Gohan would probably wake up in the midst of a similar situation one day. And Goten would not be there for him, he would not listen to him and he would not support him. Instead, he would be there to tell him _I told you so_.

"Mom…"

"No, I don't care. You two are brothers and I'm about sick of the way you've been treating each other. This is not acceptable. I have tried to help you two make peace but you're both stubborn." She sighed. "Ever since the - the _thing_ with Bura, I haven't been able to recognize you. You act so differently and you're always rude and angry!" She put her hand on her hip and used the other hand to waggle a finger at him. "This isn't how I raised you Goten. I raised you to be a proper gentleman."

He just wanted one fucking box. He came in for one box and now he was receiving the speech of a life time. Because her mother was not giving his brother any shit about being rude. No, she was too busy giving _him_ shit about it. Because Gohan could not possible be the one who was acting like an asshole. No, of course he could not be. Gohan had it all and Gohan was perfect and everything was great about him. The problem here was clearly Goten because he was the constant screw up. This was why he had wanted to do the whole charade thing and this was why he preferred lying. Because he got not get it right and now that his mother knew his whole thing with Bura was just - nothing, she would never leave him alone.

Was it worth it?

Was it worth it to apologize, to pretend like it was all fine and dandy?

He was not sure he had it in him anymore.

Before, he would have done it. He would have lied for his mother's sake and he probably would have taken the whole blame but it was not something he could do anymore.

"I just need something," was his final response.

"What?"

He walked past his mother, leading himself into the house. He wished it would be simple, but like everything else in his life, it was not. His mother turned around and began to follow him.

"Don't walk away while I'm talking to you."

What else could go wrong, what else could be bad? He could hardly see this situation degrading or improving. It was at a stale point. He kept on walking, and headed directly to where his old bedroom used to be.

"Hey, Goten, I think your mother is talking to you."

His father should not get involved in this. Goten could already feel his blood pumping. There was nothing good about Gohan. He had forgotten how to train, he had forgotten how to be a saiyan. He used to have so much strength and now it was all gone. He wasted his time studying, being a teacher… he could not do anything. Goten on the other hand? No, he did not have the fancy degrees hanging on his wall but he had done what his blood dictated him to do. He had trained, without stopping. And more than that; he had gotten the princess. Bura was his. Gohan had simply landed Videl.

No. He should not be speaking like this.

He had always liked Videl, he never had a problem with her in the past and now here he was, bashing a perfectly innocent woman. Why was he doing this? Why was he out of control?

He bit his lips hard, making them bled, as he finally reached his destination. He could hear his mother in the background but he decided that it was best if he ignored all the things she had to say. If he focused on what he wanted to do, all of this would be much easier to handle. He could not hear about Gohan, he could not hear about how he was the one at fault, and again, he had to apologize and repent. He wanted to be the one on top for once, the one who did it and succeeded. Could he not have a single victory in his mother's eyes?

"GOTEN SON!"

Her screaming shook through his core. He could not stay here. He picked up the box, the one that had his name clumsily scribbled with a black marker, and he sped past his mother, leaving her to scream by himself. His father's eyes were on him, his mother's eyes were on him, but he ignored it all. At least, that was until a huge punch to the face caused him to fall from the sky and unto the ground. The box followed with him, it's content spreading everywhere on the ground around him. He did not even need to open his eyes to know who had punched him.

"You really don't wanna do that," Goten warned as he stared at his older brother.

"I think I do," said Gohan as he quietly landed on his feet. "I think you _need_ it." His brother had been out of control. He had wanted to put him in his place but his mother had asked him not to. However, it was clear that her methods were not leading to anything and he could not watch Goten destroy his life and the lives of the people around him. If nobody else would bring him back to reality, he would.

"I think you need to back the fuck off," Goten said as he hoped to his feet. Nobody knew about his training, nobody knew about his new found strength.

He had heard about his brother. The stories. The golden child. But that was a long time ago and Gohan was not longer that person. Goten was also not the same person. He wanted more than he had wanted before. He wanted blood, he wanted pride and he wanted revenge. He had come in peacefully and nobody would leave him alone. Why was it that they all wanted to get involved in a situation that they did not understand? He would have to show them the hard way that they were all wrong about him.

"You need to step down," Gohan warned while his hands were fisted by his sides.

He had not meant to get involved. He lived far from here; but he had sense the shifting in the kis. Originally, he had not even recognized his brother's ki. He had sense that his mother was upset - he kept an eye on her from time to time since his father was quick to disappear. It had taken him a while to see that the unknown ki belonged to his brother. Already that set him off; why had it changed? But then he sensed the rage and his mother's panic and he knew he could not stay away any longer than that. He had zoomed as fast as he could, and that was when he landed the first hit. He knew his little brother was strong but he was stronger.

He did not want to get to this, especially not with his mother around… but he did not have a choice.

Goten had to listen. He had to at least realize the mess he was in.

"I'm giving you one last chance," said Goten, already feeling his power surging inside of him. "Walk away."

He loved his mother enough to control himself one more second but if his older brother did not walk away from this… he would have to kick his ass.

But Gohan did not listen. Instead, he took a step forward and that set off Goten into a rage.

He had been kind, he had given him a chance, and he did not take it. Goten launched himself at his brother, fist first.

Too late to go back.

-M-

_Something was going on_.

Both Vegeta and Trunks raised their heads at the shift in the kis. They knew too well who's kis those were and what that meant. And it was not good.

"Dad…"

"We are not getting involved."

He would not want the son family to mingle in his business, and so he would not interfere in theirs. Is only problem was, there might be someone he could not stop from getting involved. Although Bura could always sense kis, she was not as in tune with them as they all were. She usually would not notice a fight like that, especially if she was preoccupied with something else. The problem was, she now had a link with Goten and Vegeta knew all too well how far that bond could go.

He was proven right when he heard the footsteps rushing down the stairs.

"DAD!"

He sighed. This was about to get a lot more complicated.

"It's - Goten and Gohan."

She knew, she knew it would end this way. Although she had her ups and downs with Goten and Gohan and her were not all that close, she had no desire to see them kill each other. And to be honest, she did not know who would win. She would like to say Goten, but she had heard stories about Gohan. _And she did not want Goten to get his ass kicked twice_.

"I know."

She almost wanted to say _are you're just sitting here_ , but she knew better. Her father only tolerate Goten because they were mated. There was nothing else to it. Although… her protect should be caring a little bit more than he was. "And you Trunks?"

"What do you want me to do about it?" He would not like it if someone got in the middle of a fight between him and his sister - verbal or physical. Not that they would ever get into a physical fight, but still. The point was, he knew nobody should get between siblings. Plus, it was how saiyan men sorted out their feelings. There was nothing wrong with it. It was not as though they would be killing each other. They were engaging in a little bit of a brotherly fight. They did not have many of these because of their age difference.

Bura growled loudly. It was nagging at her. She could feel his rage flowing through her and it was pissing her off. Not only that, but Goten was not going into this as though it was a fight. She felt like it was a little more serious. " _Fine,_ if the two of you won't do anything, I will!"

And those were the last words she spoke before rushing to leave.

And her father almost stopped her.

-M-

Everything was blood and everywhere was rage.

Goten knew his fist was hurting, the bones probably broken, but that did not stop him from landing punch after punch. Somewhere along the way, he recalled turning into a super saiyan - and he knew his brother had done the same. But it had not turned the fight in any direction. His brother was fighting with honor, dignity and he was doing it in all fairness. Goten was applying his new sets of skills; anything to win. His eyes bled red and all he knew was that he needed to win. Blood was splattering his face, covering him and he could hear the people screaming. He knew more than one punch was landed his way. He could feel the pain in his jaw, the swelling of his eye… but somehow he was able to ignore it all. Everything on his body hurt from the hits coming from his brother but he could _push_ through.

The need for blood _made_ him push through.

His father had gotten involved. He remembered that. But he had standards, he felt stuck between his two sons. He had pulled them apart for a moment but it had all started again very quickly.

And now he could not recall who was hitting who, and who's blood it all was.

But he needed it.

Until he felt a surge, something familiar and something that was his. It was the only thing he could recognize.

Her hand was tiny as it gripped his shoulder, but she was the first thing he could actually truly feel. And her voice was the first thing he could actually hear clearly. "Goten," she had shouted. "Goten, _stop_."

He did not want to stop, he wanted his brother to stop. He was the one who came at him and attacked him over and over again. Why should het let him get away with all this? He was disrespecting him and he was disrespecting Bura - the princess. He had tried to walk away many times but his brother would not have it. He was paying the price.

But when she pulled him away, he almost followed with no resistance. He got up from his knees and landed punches into the air. He was semi-aware of his mother running to Gohan's side but it was all a blur.

"Goten, look at me."

Her voice was a sweet whisper, one that promised to free him. His eyes were bleeding red and he was out for more blood but he still let himself make eye contact with her. She was soft, she was calming and she smelled like an angel.

"Walk away, let's walk away. You and me okay?" Her entire body was trembling - she did not recognize the man in front of her. Goten would have never beaten his brother to a pulp, and yet there they were. For the first time, she felt a guilt swirling inside of her. It was not _her_ fault he put that mark on her, but - but now he was different. Could she have done something else, could she have made this better? Chichi was crying while holding her son, Goku seemed flabbergasted, and Goten would hate himself in the morning. He was not this violent person.

She buried her face in his chest, listening to his erratic heartbeat. He had never been this out of control. He reminded her of the Goten during that _night_. The first night. Wait. Why did she remember that?

He lifted a hand, burying it in her hair, and pushing his nose down in the pool of blue. Breathe in, breathe out. She was right here.

And suddenly, everything that was around him was different. The colors were less muted, the sounds were clearer but there was still a buzzing in his ears. He was breathing so hard, it was blowing strands of her hair everywhere. His hands were fisted as though he was still ready to punch someone in the face. Bura wrapped her tiny arms around his waist, bringing their bodies even closer. "I'm _right_ here." She did not know if it was the right thing to say, but she was saying it. Usually he had a problem with someone trying to take her away. If she reminded him of her presence, it might help. He kept proclaiming hers as his - it had to be the key to this right?

At least she hoped it would.

Moments ticked away and the whole world stilled.

Until, finally, his rage for blood dissipated. It was slow, it was like a fire was leaving his blood and suddenly the air in his lungs was not on fire. A cooling air, like a bucket of cold water, had been dropped on him. He finally calmed down and moved his hand to rest it on the small of her back. His hand was moist but it was not from the sweat - it was from the blood. _His brother's blood_. His face, his body; everything was covered in the red liquid. And then there was Bura, pressed up against him. He could now clearly hear his mother sobbing, while his brother looked pissed as fuck. He was conscious, but clearly not in the mood to re-start this fight.

He could not stay here. Everyone here was filled with judgement and the weight of the guilt was beginning to weight him down. He could not do this, he could not face it.

Goten felt Bura pulling away from him, and for an instant, he was scared she would have the same look in her eyes. But she did not. When he met her blue orbs, they were shining with concern and worry. She raised a hand to his cheek and gently cupped it. He was like a stray animal on alert and she could not scare him away. It seemed she was always the one who had to be careful and calculated and he was always the one running far from her. Not this time. She would not have it.

"It's okay," she whispered.

It was not. None of it was okay and he was covered in too much blood. She had to get him somewhere to clean him, somewhere that was away from all this and where he could calm down. It was now obvious to her that she had to share with him what her father had told her. The situation had unraveled enough as it was and this could not happen again. Her hand tremble as she caressed his face with her thumb.

"Let's go to your place."

Not her house. Her brother was there, her father was there… and he would never feel safe. The best place for him was far away from it all, in his own stuff.

She almost expected him to fight her over this, but he did not. Instead he leaned into her while he nodded his head. She had come over in a car, but she did not think it was possible for her to bring him all the way to the car and take the long way around to his house. His way was faster.

"Fly?"

He nodded again.

He let his arms wrap around her legs and he lifted her from the ground. He made sure his face was buried in her chest; he refused to look at his mother and he refused to see the mess he had done on his brother.

Her scent was all he could smell as he sped away in the sky.

He was _broken_.

-M-


	19. Shifting Winds

His heart was hammering while he paced the length of the living room. He was vaguely aware of Bura sitting on the couch but he could not be beside her; not when he had no control over himself like this. He had to calm down but he could not. She had tried earlier and it had worked a bit but - now that his rage was dying out, the weight of everything was pressing on him and he did not know how to process it. There was a side of him that agreed it was the only thing he could have done but the other side kept flashing pictures of his mother's face - and how disappointed she had been.

Because, _again_ , he was the disappointment.

It was all his fault even though he did not start it.

It was always like this.

"Goten." Her voice was a far away whisper.

It hurt to watch him like that. His hair was a mess, his body was trembling and she could see his eyes glistening with emotions she did not recognize. Although, she could tell there was some regret in there. He wanted to take it all away as much as he had enjoyed doing it. Honestly, she could not blame him. She had seen the way Gohan had provoked him time and time again. He should have recognized the changes in Goten but he was too busy being a judgy brother. Her own brother had been able to grasp the reality of the situation. He was not always happy about it, but at least Trunks understood that part of it was out of their control.

Gohan was enjoying punishing and judging his little brother a little too much.

She could let him have his little freak out. The most important part had been accomplished; she had gotten him away from everybody. He did not need to be a freak show that everybody watched and she wanted to spare him from their judgement. Goten put so much importance on what his mother thought of him and yet she was never on his side. How did she never try to understand Goten's perspective? Why was she so quick to put the blame on him instead of Gohan? Why could she not see both of her sons on the same level? She knew there were differences between her and Trunks but that mostly came from the fact that she was a girl and he was a boy.

Not because the level of trust, love and pride was different.

"Goten," she tried again, a little more forceful this time.

He finally stopped pacing and fisted his hands by his sides. He slightly pivoted his head and stared right at her. She was like a calming beauty, sitting there on his couch, her blue hair sprawled over her shoulders. She was calm, she was resting her hands on her thighs and she stared like she could take away everything with a stare. And he wanted to let her do that. Everyone he loved, everyone he cared about turned their backs on him - but she did not. And he had turned his back on her a lot. He had accused her of a lot of things, he had let her take a big part of the blame. But she stood by him regardless of it all. She did not even press for answers when he began training with her dad.

And he pushed her away. Every time.

His blood boiled once more, and he could feel the same rage as before slowly filling him. He was angry but he did not know why he was angry.

Bura arched an eyebrow as she felt the shift in his ki. Why was he angry? He had finally been calming down! This time, she refused to idlely standby. She jumped to her feet and rushed in his direction. It took no time for her to warm her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "He's far away."

Gohan. He did not care about _Gohan_. He was mad… at himself at the moment. He let his arms snaked around her waist, pushing her slender frame against his. He needed to feel her warmth.

"I need you," he whispered, his teeth still gritted.

Goten did not like to admit to needing her. Goten did not like that they were stuck together; he had simply accepted their current situation. And now, to hear those words made her heart soar. But - she did not know if she could believe them. He had said a lot of things while under the influence of his saiyan blood. She needed to hear _Goten_ \- the old one - say he needed her. Actually, she wanted that Goten to say that he loved her - because she had been in love with him for as long as she could remember. Her body trembled and she brushed up her nose against the length of his throat.

He let his nose tangle with her blue locks and he inhaled her scent. It should calm him but instead, it only flared up his rage again. He squeezed his fingers around her, his fingers crisping the fabric of her shirt. If she were human, he would be leaving bruises up her back - but she was not human. She was saiyan and she was strong. _She was like him_. But he used to - he used to take care of her. When she was so little. That was what he had been trying to find in the midst of the boxes in his room. He had a box that held memories of his teenage years; his mom did not throw away anything. In that box, there were drawings from _her_. Drawings she had made for _him_ while she was a child and he was a teenager.

It was wrong and he wanted to make sure - see how far back her feelings went.

But he had been stopped by his idiotic brother.

Now did it matter? Did it matter how long she had felt that way about him?

The real question was how did he never notice? And did he ever feel the same? He tried to think, he tried looking back at the memories but he was convinced that to him, she was always a little sister and nothing more. When had he ever given her the impression that he loved her, that he was going to woo her off of her feet? He did not remember doing that.

And yet, she was in his arms. She was there for him when nobody else was. And he wanted to fight this until the end but - _even if he never felt nothing more than sisterly love before_ , she had meant a lot to him. And now she meant more - and now he needed her.

Bura gasped when she felt his mouth trail down to her neck. Before she knew it, he was nibbling at the skin, and it made her remember; she remembered when he bit her. Some moments between them was blurry but that was suddenly became so clear; his erect cock inside of her, providing mindless pleasures while she screamed and squirmed beneath his powerful chest. She had felt her chest shiver with the beginning of an orgasm, her core squeezing tight around him. _And he had filled her to the brim._ Pleasure and warmth had surrounded her until suddenly, there was numbness in her neck. His teeth had sunk in, breaking the flesh, and he made hers his forever.

And now, he was making her feel that way all over again.

She wanted to hold on to the feeling but she also wanted to push him away. Which one was right, which one was wrong?

"They don't understand," he said as he laid kisses across her warm flesh. "They don't know why I need you."

"Why do you need me?" she asked, tilting her head back. It was his saiyan blood speaking but his words worked like magic on her.

" _I don't know."_ And he truly did not, he simply needed her, all of her. He was miserable when she was away and he was angry when someone tried to take her away. And yet, he could not fully commit to her. He could not jump into this relationship without having guilt, doubts and torments following him around. It was not fair - to her or to himself.

There was also his need for blood, the one he was unable to control. He wanted it all and he wanted none of it.

He liked the strength, he liked the need for her and the need for victory. But he enjoyed who he was. How was he becoming someone else when she was simply being who she had always been?

Why did he have to lose himself to even _be_ in this situation. It puzzled him and it angered hi.

"Maybe you need to figure it out," she finally replied, finding her voice.

His lips were sweet and distracting; she could feel a familiar puddle of warmth forming within her and she bit her bottom lip. She had accepted his touch and his attentions more than once in the past and it had never bothered her. She liked it when he had to give in and admit he needed and wanted her. Although, that was back when she thought she was convincing _Goten_. Now, the lines were blurry and she did not know if this victory was as sweet as it was before. She could feel him, with her, all the time. Even now, when he had been in trouble, she had sensed it. They were becoming closer but they were also growing further apart at the same time.

But could she resist the call of his touch?

He let his hands wander up and before she could even breathe, he was cupping her breasts through her shirt. The soft mounds molded to his hands as he roughly caressed them. He felt her nipples harden against the fabric and his blood rushed downwards. His erection pressed against her core and she moaned loudly. He shivered before slowly turning them around. He needed a surface to lay her on. And he found the table. Once her butt hit it, he laid her across, shoving himself between her legs. It did not take long for her to wrap them around him, pressing her aroused core against his painful erection. He needed out of these pants.

He was vaguely aware that he was leaving blood everywhere he touched, he knew his face was busted, and he knew everything should be pain.

But she was here and she was touching him and everything was great.

He could forget it all - and she did not seem to mind the blood.

Her body was drumming under his touch and she was leaning into him. _Why did she need this so much?_ It was like she could no longer exist on her own; she needed him to be whole and she hated that. Despite all the feelings she carried for him, she was still her mother and father's daughter; she was independent. She was not whiny and needy. She took what she needed - whenever she needed. If she needed him, then she was no longer in control and that was a scary thought. She did not want to need him but needing him felt so good.

"Where do you want me to touch you?" His voice held promises and it was like a soft whisper being blown across her skin. She wanted to hear more of it.

"Everywhere," she answered breathlessly.

"Not good enough," he huskily replied as his tongue traveled to the top of her breasts.

She was often the dominate one - except when they were out of control. But, despite the current changes he was going through, Goten was very much in control of himself at the moment. It made him stronger, it made him even more terrifying. She knew there was no use fighting it; she had learned that a long time ago. Plus, she had never truly try it fight it before. Even when she tried to tease him, it ended up with him buried deep inside of her. Neither of them could avoid it - not when their blood was calling to the other.

He was begging her to talk but in truth, _he_ wanted to be touched by her. He wanted to put his hand on top of her head and pushed her down until she fell to her knees. He wanted to watch as she took his cock in her mouth, deep throating him until he would cum in her mouth, her pretty pink lips wrapped around him. The thought of it was nearly enough to make him cum. How could he think such thoughts about her? He did not know but he could not chase the images away. It was too late.

She covered his hands with hers, moving them against her breasts. She wanted him to be touching her - really touching her. He was fire and she wanted to burn. The feel of the fabric of her shirt against her hardened nipple _hurt_. She wanted - no _needed_ \- him to take it off. She tried to bundle up the shirt in his hands the best she could but it felt like he was not getting the hint she was throwing his way.

Of course he was not; he wanted her to speak, he wanted her to humiliate herself by begging.

She wanted to scream that she was Bura Briefs and that Bura Briefs did not beg but he had proved once that he had a bigger control on her than she initially anticipated.

And she wanted to beg, and she wanted him.

"Touch my skin," she said like a soft whisper.

"What part of your skin?"

The teasing, the dominance - all that mixed with what his hands were doing to her body was driving her _nuts_. Her arousal had sparked, her body was on fire and she wanted to feel him deep inside of her. At this point, she did not even want him to _touch_ her, she needed him to _fuck_ her. The fucks were far apart and they were always driven by some rage. Maybe this was how they would always be. Maybe they always needed a trigger to fall prey to the other. Who was she kidding? She was always his prey and there was no walking away from this for her.

Could she say it?

She could.

Because she was her father's daughter, and she was a princess.

But she also finally had what she wanted; Goten.

It was the victory she wanted and it was not exactly the person she wanted but -

_But she craved his love and she craved his touch and she wanted anything and everything for him._

_"Fuck me."_ Except this time it was not a teased woman speaking. Her words were not words of begging or a plea. This time, she was demanding something from him. She needed to keep some pride, she needed to keep a bit of who she was, despite the fact that they were slowly losing themselves in this union.

He arched an eyebrow. He bent down, his tongue licked the inner shell of her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "How do you want me to fuck you?"

He wanted more; he wanted to squeeze everything out of her. And she was going to let him. She was not sure if this was fully him, or it was the new him testing the boundaries and seeing how far he could push her. He was getting bolder and he wanted more power and he was seeing if she would give it to him. Did it mean more coming from her considering who her father was, or was it all the same? Power was power no matter what for him? She did not know.

" _Hard_." Again, she kept her dry tone, ordering him to give her what she wanted.

Then it happened, and she barely felt it.

She realized afterwards what he had done. The feeling of the jeans being snapped off her body was like a warm body hitting the cold water. It stung, it burned and it left a ghost of a presence behind. It was not until he moved closer, his jeans covered erection pressing against her, that she realized he had also taken her underwear away at the same time. She was half bare in front of him, her body shivering from all the feelings and shivering. Then, before she could even inhale her first intake of air, he shoved two fingers inside of her awaiting core. She drenched his fingers while he pumped in and out of her with vigour.

She buckled, she parted her lips and she moaned. It was good - it was not what she wanted, but it did make her legs weak.

"More."

"More what?"

She wanted to bang his head into the nearest wall. His new found attitude was both turning her on and frustrating her and she did not know which one she preferred the most. She could relinquish control from time to time but he was demanding more of it each time and she knew the end would require her to give herself up completely.

"I want your _dick_."

He smirked.

"That's all I wanted."

That and everything she was.

He wanted to crush her. He wanted to take all of her until she was no longer herself.

And she was letting him.

-M-

_"Goten?"_

_"Oh, hey, hm, B. H- how are you?"_

_She had not been sure that it was him but now that he was standing in front of her, she was forced to face the fact. His ki was not like usual; it was disturbed. He had been roaming around the place for a while now, but he had actually gone anywhere. She had found it suspicious and had decided to investigate. What she found was not what she expected. It was indeed Goten but he was a real mess. She could tell that he had shed tears - something she had rarely ever seen him do - and his eyes were surrounded by red circle. He was sniffling, agitated and every once in a while his hands would crisp into fists._

_She knew he was not looking to fight someone; it was not his nature._

_And if it was not a fight he was after, then something had happened._

_Something bad._

_"I'm fine. Are you okay?" She was not the time to tip toe around what she wanted. That, and she did not like seeing him this upset. Goten had such a go lucky personality that seeing such an expression on his face was quite startling._

_"Yes- Yea, I'm fine." He fidgeted some more, his foot loudly tapping the floor. He was outside of himself. He wanted everything and he wanted nothing. "Listen, is Trunks home?"_

_She arched an eyebrow. "Do you sense him?"_

_"No, right. You're right."_

_Goten could always find her brother. These two had a GPS inside of them for the other - it was insane how in tune they were. Then again, they had been friends for quite a while now. What had destabilized Goten so much, that he could no longer tell where Trunks was?_

_"Well, thanks. I should- I should go."_

_Her eyes narrowed; he was not about to get away from her that easily. She knew that she was not his friend in the same sense that her brother was. She knew they were never be close like they were but it did not mean that she could not be there for him. Actually, she wished that she could be there for him, but it was not on a friend level. Except, a friendship would be all she could ever get with him. He had listened to her whine more than once and - this looked more serious than anything she had ever complained about. The least that she could do was listen to him._

_"Goten, what's wrong?"_

_He meant to turn around, he meant to walk away from her and go drown his sorrows somewhere but - but he had come here to talk to someone. She was not the someone he had been looking for but - maybe Bura would understand. Maybe she could bring another perspective to the matter. But he was ashamed. Really ashamed. How could he share such a failure with her? She would not look at him the same. He could not even look into a mirror at the moment. He did not know how his life ended up the way it did. He had it all planned and it all blew up in his face._

_Why could he not do anything right?_

_"Goten." Her voice sounded like an order - he knew that because she often used the same tone as her father. Despite looking like Bulma's clone, she was too much like Vegeta._

_Then again, it was not such a bad thing._

_He sighed; he was already down, like a kicked dog, it was not that hard to convince him. "It's Paris."_

_Of course it was Paris; she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, she had never liked the woman. She was annoying, she was stupid and most of all, she was petty._

_"What did she do?" She knew her voice showed her dislike for the other woman, but she could hardly care._

_Defeat. Shame. Anger. Pity. He was not sure how he should be feeling and he did not know how_ she _was going to react. "She cheated."_

_A bunch of emotions traveled through her, one of them was her wanting to punch Paris' face into a wall. Goten was everything she had ever wanted. He was the only one who could fully understand her, the one who could make her smile - the one who was there for her. Paris had all that, and she had thrown it away? She had not even deserved him in the first place! She let the air exhale through her nose, while she put on her best poker face. The only problem was - she was not very good at faking her anger. The one good thing was that Goten was too pre-occupied with his dilemma to notice._

_She did the only thing she could do, she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him._

-M-

Morning came and it was a painful one. The first thing that woke him was not the light bursting through the open blue curtains. It was neither the cold breeze blowing through his room; it was the throbbing of his face. Everything hurt, everything felt swollen and he felt like dying. He tried to touch his face but all he felt was _crusty_. _Blood, it was dried blood_. He groaned in his hands before sighing heavily. He needed the bathroom, he needed a shower. He meant to get up but his body was heavy - so heavy. Oh right. Because she was laying on him.

He remembered it all.

It was no longer a case of amnesia.

He remembered her being the only one who came for him, the only one defending him.

Everyone else he knew and loved turned their back on him.

And he had been disgusting with her. Sometimes he felt like he took advantage of her, sometimes he hated her for the way _he_ felt and most of all, he had put a lot of unfair blame on her. And now, she was there for him when he was never there for him. It did not help with the amount of guilt he felt in this whole situation. He was the worst of the worst. Because of all this, he had to ignore the pain throbbing in his face, and he had to wait while she slept on top of him. It was the least he could do considering everything.

"You can just tell me to move," she grumbled against him as she dragged herself to the other side of the bed.

For the first time ever, he was not freaking out while she woke up by his side. She decided that the best way to go about it was to act as though it was completely natural and casual. She was tired of waking up with somebody finding them, or him running away, or them fighting. She needed to wake up and she needed for this to be normal. Of course there was nothing normal about them or their situation, but it did not matter. If this was going to be their life, then she needed it to find a sense of normalcy or she was going to lose her goddamn mind. If normal meant casually waking up in the morning, then so be it.

"Thanks," he shyly mumbled before hoping to his feet.

Somehow he was quite glad that she decided not to look at him. He was not even sure he could look at himself.

He felt bad, he felt real bad. He did not know if he felt bad towards her or if he felt bad towards his family. He had not forgotten the way Gohan had provoked him over and over again but - it made him sick to his stomach to think about everything that happened. It should not have gone down like this, it should not have imploded and his face should not look like this. He sighed heavily as he reached the bathroom. He gripped the white counter with his hands, his grip enough to nearly split it in half. He took a deep breath, leaning forward and then he forced himself to look at his reflection.

It was not as terrible as he initially thought.

He was swollen, his nose looked broken, and his eye was black. There was crusted blood covering a good portion of his face but he would make it to see another day. He knew his brother would as well, although, he did not know how their relationship as brothers would go from now on. Then again, did he even want a relationship with someone like him?

It made no sense, months ago, his life was perfectly normal. He would go to his mother once in a while, he would hang out with his brother, him and Trunks were always together… and now. Now his life was completely upside down because of one element; her. Her presence in his life sent everything down the drain - and half of the time, it was like he did not mind. But why did he not? Why did he not mind being in this new life, with this new mind set? He had already established; there was no way he felt something for her prior to all this.

"You gotta wash up."

Her voice cut the silence and forced him to jump; he had not even heard her coming. Her ki was so blended in with his that her presence had become somewhat natural to him. _He stopped noticing it_. He nodded as he watched her through her reflection in the mirror. This time, he was startled once more; she was not wearing anything. She was walking around in the bathroom, looking for something, her entire body bare to his eyes. Her large breasts bounced with each step she took, her hand carelessly resting on her hip. She was a sight that was hard to forget.

Everything about her was hard to forget.

She could feel his eyes burning holes through her body but she ignored him. Instead, she focused on finding a cloth. Now that he was calm, he could finally clean up. Once she found what she was looking for, she walked to him, right by the sink and soaked the cloth right through. It would probably be best if he took a shower, but for now this would do. She still did not know how jumbled his thoughts would be, or how guilty he would feel. She was used to being loud and pushing through to have her way but she was not going to do that this time.

She wanted normalcy. She wanted little moments.

She wanted him to see what she had been seeing for years.

They complimented each other - and most of all, they understood each other.

He felt outcast at the moment, but she had often felt that in the past. She knew of her father's past, she knew the thoughts some of them had about her father and the assuming they might make about her brother and her. She also knew of her mother's temper, and how they were quick to judge her sometimes. It did not matter. She always held her head high, proud of who she was, and proud of who her parents were.

She did not need the approval.

Now Goten was the one who needed to understand that he did not need anybody's approval.

He could be his own person.

If he let himself.

Maybe if he freed himself from the shackles that were holding him down, then maybe he could actually be himself and still be happy in a relationship with her.

Maybe he could have it all.

She put a hand on his shoulder, forcing his attention on her once more. Except this time instead of ogling her, he was staring right into her eyes. "Lower," she spoke softly as she applied a bit of pressure so that he would kneeled down.

It took him a second to understand but once he did, he dropped to his knees. His eyes were almost eye level with her bare breasts, but he focused on her face regardless. Gently, she brought the wet cloth to his face while her other hand was holding his chin, trying to keep his face steady. She began scrubbing away the blood, hoping it was not hurting. She knew Saiyans healed fast, but both him and his brother were quite strong and it was not a regular fight; big punches had been thrown and neither would get away from this without damage. She started with his cheek and worked her way to his eye and then his forehead. Eventually, she scrubbed most of it off, and he looked like a new man.

He was still swollen and had bruises, but it was better.

It was more him.

Maybe if he did not have to look at his busted reflection, then maybe he would not let the guilt win.

She threw the dirty cloth in the sink and sigh as she rested a hand in his messy hair. She did not know what she was supposed to tell him. This could have been easy, this could have been simple, but he decided to turn all their interactions into a guilt trip, into a task and an obligation.

She was about to pull herself from him when he did the most unusual thing; he grabbed her.

It was not sexual, it was not violent, it was not angry. He simply, and very calmly, laced his arms around her waist and brought his face to her stomach. She could feel the heat, the swells, as he pressed his nose into her bare abdomen, seeking something from her that she was not even certain she could give him. His hands were desperate, gripping at her as though she could ix it all for him - but she could not.

"B," he whispered against her skin, his breath tickling her.

She remained motionless, her hands awkwardly immobile around him. She could not even answer him. Because he never did this. If he demonstrated love towards her it was brotherly love or he was fucking her. When did he ever try to find solace with her?

"I- I don't know what to do."

But for the first time, it did not have anything to do with her.

Instead, he was asking her for help.

She was not supposed to be weak. She was Vegeta's daughter goddamn it.

It was going to take more than that for her to cave.

… No, it was not.

Because she was weak when it came to him.

-M-


	20. One More Memory

_"I mean, it's not like we don't have sex."_

_Bura tried not to cringe as she knew she would not like the next words that were about to come out of his mouth. Trunks was nowhere to be found and honestly - she could not leave him alone. His girlfriend cheated on him, his best friend was missing - she needed to be his shoulder to cry on. And she was almost doing it entirely out of selflessness. Almost. She had despised Paris for years. Hearing him bash her made her day! Although she was not quite convinced that she wanted to know the details of their sex life. Her feelings for Goten were quite present and vivid and she did not think that they were going away anytime soon. But, if she was going to be his confident, she would have to listen to it. She did not want him talking about his sorrows with another girl._

_That was how he would end up rebounding._

_And if he was going to be rebound with anybody, it was her._

_Now that she was rebound._

_She was fucking Bura Briefs. But, maybe if he let himself feel a little, then she could persuade him that the answer to all of his problems had been in front of him the whole freaking time._

_"We do, and - and I pay attention to her. I mean, she calls me all the time. I mostly answer." His mother was not a big fan of cellphone. He tried to avoid it around her but sometimes Paris was just too insistent he would end up picking up or answering anyway. Paris was something else his mother was not fond of - she thought she was too slutty and that she had gone around a bit too much. For once, he should have listened; Chichi had been right. He should have seen it coming but he was too blindsided by the love he had for her. He sighed before talking another gulp of his beer._

_Bura had gently brought him alcohol - while she stayed sober. He was on his - tenth? Eleventh? He had lost count somewhere along the way. All he could feel was the rage and the pain that was pumping through his blood._

_"She's an idiot," Bura finally settled on._

_"What if I'm the idiot?"_

_She frowned. "Why would you be the idiot?"_

_He shrugged. Because he was not as smart as his brother. Because he was not as smart as Trunks. Because he had fallen for a cheater. "I didn't see it. She was cheating and I didn't see it." What else had he missed? Paris had said it was his fault. She said it was because he did not pay enough attention to her - that he was not there enough. But he almost spent all of his freaking time off with her. What more could he give her? Had she wanted him to quit training, to quit sparing? He had explained it to her before; it was in his blood. He could not do that._

_"You didn't see it because you loved her." She made sure to use the past tense because she did not want him to focus on any love leftover he might have for her. Paris had been a big deal in his life. Despite his strict old fashion mother, Goten had been good at getting around. He never really settled, preferring the bachelor life, much like her brother. However, when Paris came along, it was the big love. It was the first time she actually feared someone. It was easy when he was playboy. She had time and her turn would come - and she would set him straight. Paris was not the one who was supposed to do that and yet Goten fell in love with her. She dragged him along for months before she even said yes to a date. And he did everything she asked._

_Because he was sweet, because he was loving._

_He was so different from the men in her life and he was not afraid of what he stood for and his feelings. He was himself - without boundaries._

_"Don't worry, karma is a bitch."_

_He took another gulp. "I hope so." He turned his head and he looked at her. She had grown up. It had taken a while for him to realize that but she was not longer a little kid. Now she was at that age where she would be disobeying curfew and getting boyfriends. Although it would be much harder for her than it had been for Trunks. Vegeta would not let a man near his daughter, that was for damn sure. He was allowed but he was practically family - and Vegeta still did not like it. He tolerated him because Bulma had said so. But he understood the protectiveness Vegeta felt. Bura was not his daughter, but she was family. He did not want to think about some sleazy dude getting his hands all over her. He knew she was more than able to protect herself but - but guys used sweet words and even smart girls could fall for it._

_At least Bura would never cheat on anyone._

_She was strong enough to know what she wanted and she said what she thought._

_No secrets, no lying._

_Sometimes it was a little harsh but at least, it was the truth. He much preferred that than investing himself in a relationship that was doomed from the very beginning._

_"Hey B?"_

_At the sound of the familiar nickname, she turned her head to the side. His onyx eyes flickered for a second, lingering on her face. "Stay single."_

_It took her a moment, abashed by the sentence, but she finally laughed. "What?" Oh she was planning on it. She was - staying single to - to wait for him. Let's face it, by now, she could have had a thousand boyfriends. But she turned them all down. He might not feel for her what she felt for him - but she did not want to completely destroy the chance that something might happen._

_"It's not worth it." He was much happier when he was single. She should be single also. That way, nobody would have to worry about getting their heads ripped off and she would not worry about getting her heart broken. It was a win-win. He did not think he wanted to see her come in one day looking as pathetic as he did. Then again, she was Bura Briefs. If she found a guy worthy of her time, he would be a damn fool if he cheated on her. She was - something else. He was a nobody._

_Maybe Paris had gone and found herself someone she thought was worth more._

_She could not let him speak stupid thoughts like these. It was worth it. She had been putting herself through a lot of pain loving him. It might seem hopeless, and on most days she hated herself for not having given up yet but - she loved him. It was worth it as long as it was the right person. "Goten, she was a tramp. It's worth it when you find someone who isn't a whore."_

_"And where do I find her?"_

_Right here, in front of you - you big idiot. But that was not what she said. Instead, she covered his hand with hers and squeezed it tightly. "You'll feel it."_

_He chuckled. "I'll feel it? That's a very girly advice B."_

_She shook her head. "Mock me all you want, you'll see."_

_Her cheeks were painted red from her rage and he grinned a little more. She had her family's temper; it was easy to get a rise out of her. In the end, he was kind of glad he found Bura instead of Trunks. She was a better listener. His friend would have said, let's get drunk and fuck some girls. Which he could probably use - but this was better. She distracted him from the pain. He had a brother but - he was glad to have her through Trunks. She was not as harsh as her father and she was not as angry as her mother. She was somewhere in the middle. She laughed and the whole place lighted up. She got angry - and he laughed. There was something about her that always lifted his spirits._

_He would feel it she said._

_What would it feel like?_

-M-

_"Goten,_ open the door."

She knocked again. But, as he had been doing for the past five minutes he kept on ignoring her.

She glared at the door as though it would magically make it vanish into thin air. "Goten, open the fucking door because I break it down."

He had asked her for some time alone. She had granted him that. She had fights with her brother before but it was never anything as serious as what went down between Goten and Gohan. Plus, her family was known for heated fights. They fought it out and then it was over. She knew this would not be that easy and that Goten's life would be harder from now on. When he had asked for his little time alone, she had accepted because he was really upset. She had not wanted to leave him alone, but he had been quite insistent.

 _But_ , she had not agree to it so he could lock her away.

Plus, she had to deal with her own mother. Her mother was a fan of gossips and she had wanted to know what had happened. Except, Bura did not know much. She knew there was a fight, but she did not know exactly how it started. And Goten had not shared that.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when the door inched open. But - he was not there waiting for her on the other side. He had simply left it open for her to walk in. It was not quite what she wanted but she would take it. She pushed it open with her index finger and walked in. She inspected the surroundings but she did not see him; he had retreated back to the safety of his bedroom. Of course. She sighed while she closed the door; god it smelled in there. What the fuck had he been doing?

Most of all, she wanted to see his face. Last time she saw it, it was still marked by the battle. And she had a feeling he had not been taking care of himself. Saiyan or not, he could not be a stupid idiot.

She silently made her way to the bedroom where the door had also been left open. He must have known she would quickly figure out where he was hiding. Inside, everything was darkness; the curtains were closed, the lights were turned off. Did he think that hiding himself away would make the problem disappear? She did not know this Goten, she knew the Goten that always found a solution, the one who grinned stupidly at everything and that was always laughing. Her eyes focused on the mass on the bed; he was under the blankets. She approached the bed and plopped down on it once she reached it. He still did not move or even acknowledge her presence.

 _She would not be ignored_.

She put a hand on where she assumed his back was. "Goten."

No mouvement.

"Goten, get the fuck up."

But, he was not listening to the orders that she was barking at him. She did not have time for this; did he not know that she was not a patient woman? She grabbed his shoulders and in one unexpected motion, she flipped him on his back. And he _let_ her. His spiky hair stuck out from the blanket and she could easily see now that the strands were coated in sweat. When his forehead came in view, she saw that his skin was actually in the same state as his hair; why was he sweating so much?

He did not put up a fight as she pulled the blanket away from him completely. It allowed her to see the bruises on his body and to notice that the swelling in his face remained - although it had lessened.

One thing though; he still had a lot of blood on him. Old, dried blood. The idiot had not showered since she left. And now to top it all off, he was also covered in sweat.

"That's it."

She pulled herself to her feet and then, she grabbed him by the shoulders. It seemed he kept on making the same mistake over and over again; _he forgot that she was almost as strong as he was_. She pulled him out of the bed and for the first time he began to resist her. "What do you want B?"

_Woaw. He was calling her B._

The nickname took her by surprise and she nearly let her grip on him slip away. But she held herself back. "I want you to get in the fucking shower because you smell."

When she cursed, she sounded like her mother. He could recall the affectionate nickname Vegeta had for Bulma; foul mouth woman. He had heard it a few times as a kid, though he was pretty sure he was not meant to hear it. She was the same. He should be fighting her over this. To be honest, the past two days had blurred in together. He knew he was sticky, he knew there was still pain on his face but that was about it. He remembered falling asleep - he remembered the memories that flooded his mind but - everything else was a blur. He remembered asking her for her help, he remembered being lost. He felt like a stranger in his own skin.

She had tried to help but he had been unable to explain.

Instead, he had asked her to leave and surprisingly, she had listened.

Now she was back.

She was the only one who was back. He did not remember his mother or his father coming to check up on him. Then again, they were probably at Gohan's side. The thought left a bittersweet taste in his mouth. "Did you see Gohan?"

She frowned. "Why would I see him?"

She never had anything against him before. His existence in life barely impacted her but - but now he had made it slightly personal. He was going after Goten, he was provoking him and he was shaming them. Honestly, she knew that the only reason he had not said anything to her directly was because of her father. He was smart enough to know better than to insult her. But then again, it had only made it worse for Goten because he was the only one getting the shitty end of the stick in this situation.

And she was getting away with the victim card.

When really, the last thing she ever was - was a victim.

If anything, she encouraged and facilitated the whole thing.

Even Goten thought initially that she was the poor victim and that he was taking advantage of her. It was hard to make anybody forget that image - they needed to stop thinking of her as a hopeless little girl who could not do anything by herself. She could think and she could do.

"Everyone else is seeing him."

She heard the pain in his voice along with the bitterness. "I'm not," she chose to point out her presence by his side. He could bitch her out, he could say anything, but at least she had not let him down. Even when he was trying to push her away, which he had been doing since the beginning of this ordeal, she pushed back. Honestly, at this point, it was bad for her pride but she kept doing it regardless. She did not know why. Actually she did. She loved him and it made her immensely stupid.

"Yeah."

"Now come on."

He let her pull him to the shower - heck he even helped her. He walked some of it on his own, his head swirling the whole time. He had been in bad fights before but he had never been this out of it. He should not be this _out cold_ and yet he was.

Once Bura and him got the bathroom, she sat him down and rushed towards the shower. She slowly turned it on, checking the temperature before smirking satisfyingly. Goten was already naked, so that was one step they could skip. Now, it was her turn. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it above her head. She had not even bother with a bra which immediately graced Goten with the sight of her bare breasts.

"Bura?"

"You're not going in there by yourself." And she was not about to take a shower with her clothes on.

And he did not fight her.

He had fought her so much already and all it had done was bring him more pain and misery. He was already fighting everyone else in his entourage. Maybe she could be the one person he did not have to fight with - it would be nice. They never used to fight. They used to laugh together - and he used to be able to talk to her. When had that gone away? When had they lost what made their relationship… theirs? He did remember sitting and being able to actually voice out his feelings to her because she listened. She did not judge and most of the time, she offered solutions that did not include getting smash drunk.

But did she only do all of that because she was in love with him?

Did she do it because she wanted to be with him?

It was hard to make the distinction. Their friendship could not be based on a lie. He could not have it that way. Although there was one thing that kept leaving him confused; she was Bura Briefs. It was well known that everyone in the Briefs family was stubborn. If they wanted something, they just went for it. They never believed that they could fail, so the fear of failure was never something that stopped them. If that was true, and if the flashbacks he was seeing were really memories…then… how come she never tried? He could not recall a single moment where she had tried to make a move on him. If she did feel that way for a long time, what had stopped her?

He knew he would not have said yes but he wondered why that stopped her from trying. Bura always went head first into everything. Like now.

And there she was, leaning against the shower door, completely naked. And she was waiting for him.

The more he relinquished into her, the less pain he felt.

He liked having less pain.

-M-

_"Come in big guy_."

_It took a lot to get a saiyan drunk and yet somehow, there she was, with a drunk saiyan on her couch. Goten was half sprawled across the couch and half lying on the floor. She hoped to give him some beers so that he would forget what a tramp Paris was. She did not think that his current predicament ran that deep. He was not supposed to get wasted! They were supposed to enjoy a nice sharing moment together. She needed those more adult moments together so that he could finally realize that she was no longer a child. He had to go and screw it all up._

_"I'll get you to a room," she said when he did not move._

_"I like it here."_

_Really, he just did not want to move. If he moved it started spinning. And if he moved and sobered up, he would think about her. He did not want to think about that whore. He had made a fool of himself with her and he refused to let that happen again. He would not be anybody's little puppy dog. He ruined himself and he wasted a lot of time. At least Bura was there. Though, Trunks would have never let him be this much of a mess. Especially not over Paris. Now that he was thinking about it, everybody hated Paris but it never stopped him from loving her._

_He was an idiot._

_"Yea, well, I don't like you on my couch," she teased._

_"You'd like me better in the bed?"_

_She knew he was drunk and that he did not realize the second meaning of his words but her heart skipped a beat .Of course she would. How many nights had she spent imagining herself running her fingers along every line of muscles, tracing them, feeling them. She wanted her soft body pressed against his hard chest and she wanted to taste his skin. Of course, he was much more experienced than she was but - she was a fast learner, she could catch up if he let her._

_"Come on, you gotta sleep it off."_

_"I loved her."_

_At least he was using the past tense._

_"I know."_

_She bent forward, trying to wrap her arms around his waist. She might not be a strong, trained fighter like he was, but she remained Vegeta's daughter and she could handle lifting him off the ground. If she left the task up to him, he would wake up on the floor tomorrow morning and she could not have that. Unfortunately for her, he was quite wide, forcing her to lean forward to wrap her arms fully around him. As she did so, her blue locks spread around his face, covering it. He did the only natural thing he could do; he smelled her hair. The soft strands were wrapping around his face, tickling him. He inhaled once, then twice. She smelled like strawberries - with a hint of coconut. That was a weird mix. He wondered what shampoo had that scent._

_"Your hair smells good."_

_For the second time, she froze. Goten was sniffing her hair? He was actually using the fact that they were so close to smell her hair? And what in the world was she supposed to say to that? Like, there was no answer. It did not mean anything and he was not trying to hit on her. At least, it was what she had to keep repeating herself if she wanted to stop her heart from racing. She inhaled deeply, trying to let the blush disappear from her cheeks. It was a good thing that he could not see her face at the moment. He would be able to tell that something was off - even if he was drunk._

_"Thanks weirdo." Yes. Being insulting. That was a good way to pretend nothing was wrong right?_

-M-

Food.

To be more precise, it smelled like bacon and eggs, but - there was another smell masking the delicious scent of food. It smelled like fire. Wait. Fire? Goten jumped awake, nearly crashing upon the ground, as he tried to hurry to the kitchen. He did not remember leaving anything on - how could there be a fire? And wouldn't Bura be aware of the fire? Her nose was just as good as his.

But, once he got to the kitchen, the panic in his face obvious, he could only do one thing; he laughed.

And it was not a small laugh. It was one that shook him to his core, one that forced him to bend over in two because he could no longer control it. He could not remember the last time it hurt him to laugh.

Of course, his amusement did not make everyone very happy. Bura in particular was not quite pleased with the way he was turning her into a joke. She was only in this mess because of him. She had noticed the lack of dishes in his sink and she knew Goten was not one of dishes. Especially when he was feeling down. If there was no dishes it was because he did not eat. He was a saiyan; the number one rule of being a saiyan was to eat. If he was not eating, he was not going to make it. And so, she had taken it upon herself to fix the situation.

Obviously, she did not think it through.

Her grandmother was a great cook - probably the best there was. Unfortunately, that gene was not passed down to Bulma - and it had skipped Bura as well. Honestly though, it was hardly her fault; they had people to cook for them. She was never expected to cook, so when in the world was she supposed to learn? But - it had not stopped her. She figured she was a genius. How hard could cooking be for someone who was a smart as her? It could not possibly be that difficult. Apparently it was. It had started out so well; she had found everything she needed, it looked good, it smelled good - then at some point it all went wrong. Everything turned black and this disgusting smell kept spreading.

And that was when she knew she had messed up bad.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

She did not enjoy being made fun of and she refused to be ridiculed, especially by him. His face was a bit busted and he looked like a complete bum. If anyone was going to make fun of anybody, it was her making fun of him. The nerve of him. This was for _him_. She had tried to cook to help _him_. "This is what I get for trying to feed you."

She was not a homemaker. She was not the good little wife like his mother was. Her mother was not that time of woman either. She had not grown up around an example of a woman who stayed at home and cooked and clean. She did not think there was anything wrong with it but it simply was not the type of person Bulma Briefs was. She could not be Chichi. Bura would never learn to keep the house tidy and she would never learn to make a good meal. She did not have it in her and frankly, it was not really the type of person she wanted to be. She enjoyed being driven and goal oriented. It worked for her. _But did that work for him_?

"You were making me breakfast?" he managed to ask as his laughter died down.

She nodded as she threw the pan back on the stove. She could not even tell anymore if those were the eggs or the bacon. God, how had it gone so terribly wrong? "Not anymore."

It was hard to miss the snappiness in her voice and he really did mean to stop laughing but it was hard to do when they were surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Honestly, what made her think she could cook? "You don't learn," he said as he closed the distance between them.

"What do you mean I don't learn?" Did he think he was off the hook that easily?

There was something about her. He had caved in when she had come to his rescue, he had listened when she had forced him in the shower. And she had been right about everything. She had spent the night over - and nothing had happened. They did not have sex. He simply had the rest he so desperately needed. There was a raging battle inside of him and it was exhausting. There was the guilt, there was the need for blood, the want for dominance and the struggle. He was being torn apart from the inside and he did not know how to stop it. But when she was there, he could put it on stop, he could forget it. Granted that her almost burning down his kitchen made the task much easier.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"When you almost burned down _your_ kitchen?"

"I didn't - _oh_." She had. The funny story was - it was because of him, although he did not know that.

"Yea," he said with a chuckle. "You tried to make some cookies and - by the time Vegeta got to you, you had nearly burned the whole house down." It was the first time in his life that he had seen that look of panic on Vegeta's face. His little girl was a big deal. They had all realized that the day she was born. She was off-limits to everyone from the moment she first cried. That always made her more untouchable. It surely did not help him not consider her as a little girl.

One day, her grandmother had made cookies. Goten had been about twenty-five years old. She remembered watching him devour the cookies with much joy. She had decided that she wanted to be the one to bring that expression on his face. And so, she had asked her grandmother for the recipe. Of course, her grandmother had meant well when she had given it to her. It had not crossed her mind that perhaps she might need help or that perhaps she should not be left alone in the kitchen. Her grandmother was a good woman, but she was far from being the smartest one.

And so, she had proceeded to make the cookies.

Which had resulted in a huge fire.

And she had never tried to make anything for Goten again.

She had cooked a few things here and there over the years - after all, it had been a while. But no, never the cookies.

"They were for you," she admitted. It made her swallow her pride, but she did not care.

"What?"

'The cookies. I was making them for you."

Every time he was hit by a new memory, every time she shared something else with him, he was forced to realize that the way she felt was not recent. It only confused him more. All these years and she had not said anything? It did not seem right.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you making me them for me?"

He was not quite sure yet how much he liked knowing all this but he knew he could not ignore it. Her presence was what made it okay - her presence was the only thing he could hang on to at the moment. He had tried pushing her away and it had left him worse. If she was here, he could be okay. But if she was here, they had to talk. He had this urge to claim her, this urge to protect her and cradle her in his arms. Gohan's words felt like a threat and it was hard to let go of the desire to protect her. But then if he wanted to protect her, why had he send her away? He did not even make sense to himself.

Maybe because he no longer felt like himself.

Except right now.

Right now for a moment, he could feel like the old Goten talking with the old Bura. At least he would if it were not for their current topic of conversation.

"I wanted to make you happy." At that age, she did not know she loved him. And she did not know they would end up where they currently where. She did know that she liked having him around. She knew she loved the sounds he made when his laughter echoed through the room. Her brother was way too serious, and so was her father. Her mother had more of a sense of humor but she was focused on her work. Laughter like that - it only came around when he was there. Love was more - discreet. Her parents loved each other very much, there was no doubt about it but their displays of affection were more subtle.

She was not used to everything being out in the open.

Out of all the answers she could have given him, he never expected that one.

She wanted him to be happy.

She had always wanted him to be happy.

He was carrying around a huge amount of guilt and that did put a damper on his happiness.

He wanted to let it go. He needed to let it go.

How badly of a human being would he be if he let go of it all and enjoyed this new, unplanned relationship?

 _Very bad_.

He offered her a small smile before taking the pan from her. "Let me show you."

Not yet.

-M-


	21. Memory Lane

_"I shouldn't get back with her."_

_"No you shouldn't."_

_It had been quite the struggle to get him up the stairs - and then, getting him into the bed had been another fight all by itself. She thought that was he was sprawled across the bed, he would let sleep claim him but she had been wrong; apparently he was not done talking or bitching about Paris. It was not like she minded, she did want to be his friend, but ever since he sniffed her hair, it was strange and she could not stop her heart from racing any time he was near her. She could not keep this poker face for her long - he would notice. It was best if she walked away from him. His drunken state was making him too_ touchy _and her poor little heart simply could not handle it._

_"Yea."_

_She was bad for him and she treated him bad - and it was best to stay away from her. B was saying it. He needed to forget Paris ever existed._

_"B?"_

_"Yes?" Why could he not let her leave, why could he not let her walk away from him? Did he think it was easy to move on from him? Did he think she wanted to see him be sad over another girl? She did not want any of it, but she would have to put up with all of it._

_"I don't want to be alone."_

_His brother had Videl, he had Pan. Trunks had his strings of women. Who did he have? He thought Paris would be the one. His mother had always spoke of the one. The one woman whom he would make his life with and love forever. For a while he thought it was bullshit. Why one person? But then, he met her and everything changed. Now, all of his dreams were gone. What if he never found anybody else he could love as much as he had loved her? What if he ended up alone? His bed would be empty and cold and so would his soul. He would be all by himself._

_He did not want that._

_He did not even want to be alone tonight._

_Bura was not his future, she was not his anything but she was his friend. It was better than no one. She could - she could make him think that he was not all alone._

_She knew what he was asking. She knew he was asking her to rip her heart out and step on it. It was exactly what would happen if she stayed by his side. It would crush her, it would hurt her. But he was begging for it like he needed it to live. How was she to be the confident Bura Briefs she always was when he was so broken? How was she supposed to ignore the plea he was throwing in her direction? She could never refuse him and it would be her downfall._

_"You need to sleep."_

_"Can you stay?"_

_His eyes were closed. He was not even looking at her while he was asking so much of her. For all she knew, how did he know it was really her? How did she know that he was not off to some world in his head. Plus, it was not like it was her he wanted there. She was his only option._

_She grabbed the blanket from the edge of the bed, and laid it on his body. "You need to sleep." God, she sounded like a fucking broken record. She could not muster any other words._

_She was about to walk away from him, she was about to leave him there before losing all of her pride, but he stopped her. His fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist and though she could easily pull herself away, she could not. She stayed there while he held onto her. He did not open his eyes. He simply held her while he was laying on his side. She kept her back facing him because if she turned around, he would see the red on her cheeks and he might ask questions that she could not answer. Right there, beneath his fingertips was her quickening pulse. How could he not tell how nervous she was?_

_And then she heard it._

_A faint snore._

_He had fallen asleep._

_She waited until she heard it one more time, and then she slightly turned her head. Yes, she could see the flare of the nostrils, the parting of the lips; he was asleep. She sighed. She could not pry herself away from him. She wrangled her wrist away from him and his arm fell down to the bed._

_"Thank you," he mumbled._

_And he broke her heart._

-M-

She knew that voice.

It had stirred her away from her sleep and it was nagging at the back of her mind. She could feel rage feeling her as she kicked away her blankets. Who's voice was she hearing? She threw her legs over the bed and frowned. And why in the world was she this angry? Why did she want to rip someone's head off? She stepped on the ground and began to head towards her door. Of course knew that voice; it belonged to Chichi. She could not make out the words she was saying but she did not care. It was not about what she was saying and it was not about who she was talking to - it had all to do with the fact that she dared to show up at her house.

The nerve of that woman.

Her eyes flashed red and she rushed downstairs. She did not care what she looked like, the fact that her ki was flaring or the mess she was leaving behind. She needed to see that woman's face. _For the love of god_. Who the fuck did she think she was coming here? In her fucking house? It was like a thunderstorm mixed with a whirlwind had hit the kitchen. Both Bulma and Chichi stared at the mess of blue that interrupted their conversation. Bulma might not be able to sense ki but one look at her daughter's face was enough to let her know that her daughter was mad _. Of course she knew that face_. Vegeta had the same one when he wanted to blow up the planet.

And it was not good.

Chichi on the other hand had no clue what was coming for her. Instead, she stared at the teenager with startled eyes. She had come to Bulma for advice and she had never thought it might anger anyone. They were mothers, they were friends. She was the only person she could talk to about this. Apparently, it had been a bad idea.

"Get out," Bura warned.

Her hands were fisted by her side and she wanted to toss her out herself. If it was not for her brain reminding her that she was a proper, well raised lady, she would have kicked her out of the house a long time ago. She did not even deserve to be told to leave. She should be removed violently.

"Bura," Bulma chastised. She had heard bits and pieces of the story. Some of it was told to her by Bura and the other parts she had just heard from Chichi. She knew that both sides were slightly biased but still. She did not think that was the proper way to deal with it. She was a bit more partial since Chichi had not done anything to either of her children. She had simply hurt her own child. And really, she had messed up more than once as a mother so who was she to judge someone for messing up?

"No," Bura argued. "She doesn't get to do what she did and come here." She did not want to see her. She did not get to feel bad. She had wrecked Goten, she had made him feel alone and miserable. He was taking on all the guilt but really, it did not all belong with him. His brother had provoked him and he had fought him first. Goten had only protected himself. Chichi had not checked up on him during the fight and she never even checked up on him afterwards. She did not care. She did not get to come around and pretend she was a worried mother.

"I -"

"No, you don't talk!" She had never had anything against Chichi. Actually, they had never really interacted prior to her mating to Goten. She held no kinds of feelings towards her. She seemed nice enough and she knew her mother and her got along. Her father had colorful words to describe her but then again, he did not _quite like_ anybody. But now, she could understand his dislike for her. Who threw away her own child like this? She did not deserve being the mother to such a kind soul.

Gohan was the rotten one. Goten had never done anything.

"If you wanted to talk, you should have defended your son!" She pointed a finger at her, her other hand still completely crisped. "You just took care of the _one_. Well guess what, Gohan is the asshole. He's the one who kept pushing him until he could not take it anymore. Goten only defended himself!" She threw her arms in the air. "Why can't you see that? Why didn't you check up on him?"

"Excuse me, but Goten has been out of control for a while now." She did not come here to point fingers at Bura but if she had to, she would. She was not about to be disrespected by a child. She had come here to talk to her friend, not to be accused of things she had not done. She had not prioritized a son over the other. She had just - She could not allow such behaviour to be rewarded. He knew very well that they were not allowed to fight. She had taught them to resolve their problems differently and he had disregarded the way she had raised them. "Ever since you came along, he's been acting out."

She blinked once, and then twice. Of course this was where this conversation was heading. Of course, she was suddenly the bad guy in this story. Chichi could not deal with the fact that she had been a horrible mother and now she was transferring the blame to her. She was getting rid of the guilt and now, she was supposed to be responsible for everything that went wrong?

"No, ever since everyone turned their backs on him. That's when he started acting _out_." He was not acting out. He was finally letting go of some of the restraints that had held him down. She loved who he was to the core, but yes, it was good for him to let go of some of the constraints that made him run away from her. "You did this to him," she accused. "He needed you, and you weren't there."

She had to help him out of bed, she had to clean him up. She had to do everything and he was upset about his family. "Did you even check up on him?" She scoffed. "Of course you didn't, because you don't care."

"He is my son, and I care." She got up from her seat and then put her hands on her hips as she leaned forward. "You don't get to tell me what kind of mother I am. You're not a mother. You're not even an adult. You're just a child who tricked my sweet little boy!"

Bura was about to give her a piece of her mind, but she did not even have the chance to say anything before her own mother jumped to her feet. "I think that's enough Chichi." Her face was red as she gritted her teeth. "I welcomed you here, and you talk to my daughter like this?" She was truly testing her patience. Maybe she was good with a frying pan but Bulma was good with her fist. "I need you to leave."

"Bu-"

"Leave."

Both blue haired women were staring at her and she frowned. She was coming here for advice. She wanted to know how to fix the situation with her son and instead she was stuck getting attacked by the two of them. Coming had been a mistake. She should have known better. Clearly, Bura had gotten her awful attitude from somewhere. She thought Vegeta was the root of it all, but she had been wrong.

"You should raise your daughter better," Chichi said as she snatched her purse. She gave both women a glare before walking away from them.

Bura knew her mother always had her back but she did not expect her to jump to her defence like that. She had been so focused on telling Chichi what she thought about her that she did not even consider her mother's presence.

"Mom…"

"No." She raised her hand, cutting her off. "Chichi was out of place and I'm pissed off." If anybody was going to discipline her children it would be her. She did not need anybody else doing that for her and nobody had any business talking to her children like that. Regardless, it did not mean she appreciated everything Bura did. "You can't just come down here and shout at people."

"She made Goten miserable."

"She's his mother, it's her job."

"She put Gohan first."

"And that doesn't concern you."

"Goten is my business."

"But Chichi isn't. Do you think it's helping him that you just shouted at her? Do you think it'll make their situation any better?"

She did not want to be the one getting a lesson and she certainly did not want a speech from her mother. Chichi deserved everything she got from her. "I don't care, she was being a bitch."

Bulma sighed heavily before she began rubbing her forehead. _Her children_. They had the same temper and attitude as their father. Sometimes, she did not know what to do with them. She could see the flare of rage in her daughter's eye and she knew she would not get through to her. There was no point in trying to have a logical conversation with her at the moment. "Go back to your room."

"What?"

"You heard me. I think you need to just calm down, and then we'll talk."

"Why are you on her side?"

"I'm not on her side, Bura. I'm trying to help you." Irrational conversation and flying tempers were not going to help her. If she wanted to help Goten she had to do it with a calm head. She knew their family was not known for keeping their cool but - this was a very touchy situation for everyone.

Bura let a big groan of rage slip her before turning around and walking back to her room. Her mother was supposed to understand but she was wrong. _Fine, if nobody wanted to understand_. She did not want to be here any longer. She needed the rage to stop flowing into her blood stream, she needed something that would take the edge away.

"Brat."

She stopped in her tracks when she heard her father's voice.

She never turned to look at him but she patiently waited.

"Gravity room."

He had never offered to train her there. He reserved that for her brother - and Goten now.

And her?

She did not think twice about it - she followed him.

-M-

_The sun was bright, nearly blinding him. He turned over, trying to shield his eyes but it barely worked. Instead, he almost slapped himself in the face. A groan slipped his lips and he could feel a small pounding in his head. Man, he drank a lot. Usually, he could take quite a hit and not feel anything the next day. Now, he felt a bit like shit. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Or maybe it was the fact that it was over with the person whom he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with - maybe it was a little bit of everything._

_He finally found it in him to open his eyes but what he saw was not what he expected. He saw blue. Bura's blue hair._

_He nearly jumped out of the bed, but all he did was back away. Why was Bura there? She was not even on the bed. She was sitting on the floor, her back pressed to the edge of the bed. He remembered that she had helped him up - god that was embarrassing - but then he was certain she had left._

_"Morning."_

_Oh god. Oh god. She fell asleep. She fell asleep. Oh god, she was such an idiot. How was she supposed to even look at him now? She would look like a desperate idiot. No, no, she was a genius; she could think her way out of this in a snap. Or she could if her brain could actually fucking work when she was around him. Especially in this situation. It was morning, they had spent the night in the same room and - and she was certain he looked absolutely eatable in the morning when he just woke up. She was about to find out._

_"What- what are you doing here?"_

_Time to bring in the acting and the lying. She scoffed. "You don't remember?"_

_He shook his head as he slowly sat up in the bed. He was not supposed to have blanked out. For fuck's sake had he done something stupid? It was Bura. He knew better than to mess around with her. There was no way he would have done that. She was - she was like family._

_"You didn't want to be alone. You were pretty sad." She did not want to make it sound like he had wanted_ company _but she did not want him to think she stayed there of her own will. Plus it was nothing more than a half lie. He had asked her to stay. She simply had not planned on fulfilling his request. She had decided to stay until he fell asleep but apparently her own tiredness had gotten the best out of her and she had allowed herself to rest._

_"Oh." Fuck he was an idiot. Why was he acting like a desperate teenager in love? He was better than this. Even if he was heart broken over what happened, he should have handled himself better. Also, he should not have dropped his problems on her and he should not have imposed so much. And yet, she had not complained. She had stayed and she had been there for him. It made him feel like a jerk. He should be a little more grateful. She did not owe him anything and she was stayed by his side. Sometimes, when it was the two of them, he saw new sides of her he did not know. Most people saw her a a spoiled brat but he knew there was another layer to her. She simply did not let it out often._

_Then again, it was not like they hung out the two of them very often._

_It was mostly group things, or seeing her in passing._

_This had been different. This had been something they had not done in a while. Honestly, with the age difference, after a while, he thought that maybe they could not hang out the two of them. Maybe they did not have enough in common. Maybe he had been wrong._

_He smiled at her. "Thank you."_

-M-

Her entire body was covered in cuts, she could feel pulsing coming from her face and she had never been so drained of her entire life. But, for the first time, it became clear to her why Goten had trained with her father. She felt an inner peace she had been unable to find ever since her mating to Goten. All the rage that had built up inside of her was gone, dissipated and she could finally relax. It was also the first time her father was not taking it easy on her and it was a nice change. She was always kept apart and treated differently. She knew it was not meant to be mean, but it did not mean it did not leave any scars.

People had trained Pan from the very beginning. She was a talented fighter, she was born with the fighter blood. Yes, Pan was a little more tomboy than she was but - who could have decided that when she was a baby? Maybe she grew up to be a little more boy-ish because of the way she was treated. Bura on the other hand was treated like a princess. It was like she was made of porcelain and she had to be protected no matter what. She did not know who decided that, but it impacted her whole life. Everyone made sure she was taken care of, nobody really trained her - and eventually, she found no interest in the arts of training.

Plus, it was not like Pan and her had grown up to be close friends like her brother and Goten. They were two different people, and they never had much in common because they were raised differently. There was Marron. She was much closer to her but then again, she had also been raised in the same kind of way as Bura. Hence why she was not that close to Pan either.

But she was a saiyan. They should have known she had the calling in her blood. They should have known that eventually, she would feel the need to fight. Maybe it was all coming from her mating to Goten, but it did not change that fact that it was in her. She needed that. But, she knew why her father never trained her. Unlike Pan, who did not quite resemblance anyone, except for the dark eyes, dark hair, Bura was a carbon copy of her mother. She knew her father feared losing her mother one day. He would never say it out loud, but it kept him up at night sometimes. Hitting her - it would be too close to hitting her mother. And he could not do it.

And of course, her brother never had any patience to deal or train his annoying little sister. He had been too old when she was born and - well, a teenager did not want anything to do with a little baby.

Sometimes she wondered if their relationship would have been different if they had been closer in age. Then again, Goten and Gohan were a little closer in age and that did not help them. Maybe siblings were always meant to give each other a hard time.

Regardless of the past, she now needed to train. She needed to spar and she needed an outlet for all the rage steaming inside of her. For the first time, her father understood that there were no other ways and he gave her what she did not know she had been craving.

"The brat will come."

Her father had been lurking in the shadows, checking up on her. It was his protective father side. The one that truly emerged when she was born.

Goten would probably sense that she had been sparring with her father and he would come to check up on her. Or maybe he would come for a session of his own. After all, he probably was under a lot more tension than she was. Chichi was _his_ mother. And she was convinced that by now, he had heard what had happened. Maybe she had simply made the whole situation a lot worse for him. Oh well, she did not care. Chichi needed to be told off about her bad behaviors and since nobody else was going to do it, she took it upon herself to rectify the situation.

"I don't think so."

She came to him a lot more than he came to her. She was always the one chasing, the one pushing. She did not know how much longer she wanted to be the glue holding it all together. In the beginning, if it were up to him, they would have never laid eyes on each other again.

"Do you get a lot of memories?"

She blushed. She did not like that her father was the only one who could help her with this. She did not want to say that it was awkward but it was. There were things she could not ask him, things she could not share with him. At least if it had been her mother, it would have been slightly less awkward.

"But I don't see the point."

She remembered every moment they had together. She knew everything they ever did, she knew everything he ever said to her. The fact that it was playing over and over in her head - it only made her feel even more ashamed. She had been after him forever. When had she become such a little puppy? She was not meant to be a follower, she was a leader. He learned that her feelings for him had begun a long time ago. What had she learned? That he constantly told himself she was like a little sister? That he told himself, she was maybe a good friend but they had such a huge gap that they could not possibly have anything in common?

How did any of it help her?

"Maybe you are not looking deep enough."

"It's not like I control it, dad." If she did, there were a lot of things that Goten would have never seen.

"You could."

She could not decide everything, but she could help it lean in a certain direction. At first, it was a jumble of memories but after a while, it followed a path. The problem was, the dimwit was probably controlling it. He probably learned something that startled him and he wanted to know more. Unconsciously, he was forcing the memories to let him learn more about it. She could be doing the same. She was miserable. She had been miserable since that boy had put that mark on her. If he could go back and take that moment away, he would. He did not want her tie down to him and he did not want her to be with someone who made her this sad.

But he had no control over it.

All he could do was make _him_ miserable and make his daughter happy.

Except, he never excelled at these types of conversation. It was why he took her into the gravity room, it was why he sparred with her until he felt like rage no longer fuelled her every movement.

It had worked.

"How?"

"What do you want to know?"

She wanted to know if what he said was true. She wanted to know if deep down, at some point, he had feelings for her. Even if he denied them. It was not fair that it was her feelings and emotions that were on display. What about his?

"I wanna know if I made us miserable."

Chichi always treated Goten differently, there was no doubt about it - but they did have a good relationship prior to the mating. It was different, but it was good. Goten was always over, and Chichi was always cooking for him and checking up on him. It was good, it worked. And then, Goten started lying to not disappoint her, and now Chichi resented her and - and she loved Goten, she really did. And though she did not believe that she was the reason for him acting out… she did transform his life. He would not be in the mess he was in if it were not for their mating. Her parents had been nothing but supportive of her. Her father had tried to kill Goten, but except for that, all was well.

Her relationship with her brother was a little strained but he did not hate either of them.

She had it good. She had understanding, she had helped and she had knowledge. Goten on the other hand, no longer had anything. His relationship with his best friend was not the same, his brother hated him and his mother was judging him and their relationship. He had not caught a break since the whole thing had begun. Even when they had good moments together, it was ruined by the guilt and by the feeling of judgement he received from everyone around him. When were they supposed to work on themselves when people were always throwing rocks at them?

He could not be free, he could not be happy.

What if his feelings had barely been there? What if it was her own desire that was enough to fuel the mating? She was attractive. It might have crossed his mind once or twice.

She did not want to be the sole reason his life was like this.

She felt rage, she felt pain and she knew not all of it was hers. A lot of it was his. Whatever she had yelled at Chichi, it had not only come from her. She had channelled Goten and she had made it worse for him. She had tried to say the things he had never said to her, everything that hurt him but that he kept locked inside.

"It's not." He was not someone who consoled, he was not someone who made it better. He never learned how to and despite how much she needed it, it was not something he could offer to her.

"We'll see," she said as she finally hoped to her feet.

Only time would tell how much she had screwed up his life.

-M-

_"Come on man. You've been moody and you stayed locked in!" Trunks had to drag his friend out to even get him to the club. He had done his best but no matter what he proposed, his friend would not have it. "Come on, you were even stuck with my sister for like, a whole day." He could not even imagine what kind of torture that was. His sister was not very good at comforting others._

_What Goten needed was a nice night out, fuck some girls and he might just finally get Paris out of his head. That girl was never any good and now, he finally have proof to give him._

_"Come on, I'm not telling ya to date a girl. I'm telling you to fuck one."_

_Except, he was not really in the mood for that. He had just agreed because he knew his friend would never drop it. He had actually much preferred the night in he had spent with Bura. Even if some of it was blurry. He had also made quite a fool of himself, but she had helped him out a lot. He was not sure getting drunk and fucking strangers was going to cut it. But he owed it to his best friend to at least try._

_"Look at all the girls here. We'll find one for you, for sure."_

_He looked at the mass of girls and they came in all shapes and forms._

_"I'll get us some drinks," Trunks said as he began walking away from his friend. "Don't go anywhere."_

_As if he had anywhere to go. He scanned the crowd, trying to see if someone could catch his eye. It would be easier if he could find someone already; it would get Trunks off of his back. Worst case he would do a swing and miss. He was not that upset about it. Plus, he did not quite feel like flirting. After what happened, he did not trust his skills._

_"Hey handsome."_

_He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned around. He found himself staring at a busty blue haired girl who had smirk on her face. Her eyes were brown, her long blue hair was wrapped up in a ponytail and she was wearing a dress that did not leave much to the imagination._

_"Hey."_

_"Wanna dance?"_

_He would have preferred to get a drink first, but she was making his job a whole lot easier. He could not exactly turn her away. "Sure." Plus, he enjoyed dancing; he was good at it._

_She grabbed his hand, a sultry smile on her lips. Her fingers intertwined with his and she winked at him before turning around, her ass facing him. She began guiding him away, and he followed without any hesitation. Her ponytail was swaying from left to right and he was close enough to smell it. It was dull, impregnated with the scent of alcohol, sweat and smoke._

_He preferred Bura's hair._

_It was like strawberries and vanilla and soft and warm._

_He shook his head. Since when did he care what hair smelled like?_

-M-


	22. Shameful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi guys! Sorry, I went on a mini vacation of wild camping, and I came back a little under the weather, but I'm a lot better now. Updates are resuming!

_The morning light blinded him as he opened his eyes slowly. His head was pounding, bile was rising up his throat and he knew all the drinking he had done the night before had been a terrible mistake. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and then, flipped to his side. It was then that he noticed there was another body present in his bed. Slightly startled, he backed away a little. All he had was a vague memory of talking to a girl. Unfortunately, he did not have a single clue about her identity. To top it all off, she was covered by the blanket entirely, which gave him no hints about who she was. Slowly, he tugged at the blankets, revealing the top of her head; blue hair._

_And his heart stopped._

_Blue hair._

_He remembered Bura._

_But - oh god no. He would never._

_Not Bura- he could not, he would not. She was young, too young. She was Bura._

_As his heart began to race in his chest, the girl slowly turned around, her face facing his. And then he began to breathe again. It was not her. Oh god. It was not her. Relief washed over him and he finally felt like he could move again. He thought he had done the worst thing in the world. He thought he had done the unthinkable. But, it turned out that he had simply fucked another random chick. That he could very well live with it. He did not care. He had done that many times in the past, and he was not about to feel shame about it. Apparently someone had been good enough to make him forget about Paris for a brief moment._

_Satisfied that he had not done the worst mistake of his life, he slowly got out of bed. He was not really a morning after kind of guy. His mother had raised him to be polite, so he was - and then the girls would take that as a sign that he was interested to pursue something more with them. He was not. It led to confusion and anger and honestly, he was not in the mood for that. Especially since he had just gotten out of a long term relationship and he was not looking into getting back into that any time soon. He had learned that it was a bad idea and he was best to stick with flings._

_For the time being._

_He picked up his phone from the nightstand and saw he had a text message. He quickly opened it; 'Yea, I think you're drunk. Go home.' It was from Bura. No wonder he thought it might be here. Apparently he texted her through the night._

_Man, he really had been drunk to text Bura while he was trying to pick up a chick. He could not even remember the last time he texted her - sober or drunk._

_He really needed to get his shit together again._

-M-

It was quiet knock, one he barely even heard. At first, as he was pulled from his sleep, he thought he had imagined it. But, as he blinked into the darkness, he heard it again. It was not Bura. He could not feel her, he could near hear her. It was a ki, one that was bringing a rage inside of him. He crunched up his nose as he threw the blanket away from his body. His feet felt warm against the cold floor while he walked towards the door. As soon as he stepped outside of his bedroom, he could tell who was on the other side; his brother. His fists crisped up by his side and his chest swelled. _That fucking bastard._ He had no business showing up here.

He swung the door open, his eyes shining red with his anger.

On the other side, his brother looked almost as bad as he had. Clearly his wounds had healed, but he had gotten a little messed up. Goten heard the door squeak under the pressure as his fingers threatened to break the wood and split it. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

He was taking the chance that he would not kick his ass again. Did he think he could walk all over him again? He was not going to stand for that. If he wanted to fight again, so be it. He would not let Bura stop him this time. It was clear that his brother had not learned his lesson. He would be happy to show him his power again.

"I came to talk."

Gohan was not staring at his little brother. Instead, he was avoiding his glance. He was not here by choice. He had gotten an earful from his very upset mother. She had also mentioned disliking Bura, but most of her speech was about him and Goten. She said they were brothers and this could not be the way it went for them. Of course, he had taken a while to be convinced, especially since he did not feel he had to be the one to go to his brother. Goten was the one who decided to go ape shit on him. He should not have to crawl back to him. At this point, he would be fine pretending that he did not have a brother. He did not need someone like him in his life.

But it was not up to him.

His mother would never let him not fix this.

But he was not going to put much effort in it. He was going to make sure they could be civil with each other in front of their mother and that would be it. They would no longer have a relationship and - he would not do anything else. How could this be fixed? He could not excuse his actions against him and he could not excuse his behavior with Bura. All that he had done was wrong and - he could not accept it.

"I don't wanna talk to you."

He could not talk to his brother. If he let him in, all they would do would involve fighting and honestly - he was trying his best to avoid it. They had different views on the matter and it was not about to change. Actually, they had always been quite different but it had never cause such a rift between them. They usually sparred together, had big family meals - and they simply never really discussed the topics that they did not agree on. It was simple and it had always worked for them. Something about the whole Bura situation though had set off something in his brother and he simply could not let this on go. It was not about to change. He knew his brother; he was stubborn.

And Goten was the same way.

Plus, it was not like he could change his mind. Bura was his and she would be his forever.

Sometimes, although it almost scared him, he wondered if perhaps - she had always been his.

"We have to talk," Gohan defended.

"No, we don't."

"Mom-"

"I don't care about, Mom." His mother did not care about him. His mother rejected him and preferred Goten. Goten who had everything while he had nothing. His mother raised him for many years before his father even came back into the picture. He grew up for a while without him while Gohan got to enjoy their father's presence. He even had Piccolo. He had it all. Granted their father was not always father of the year - he had still been there for Gohan. Goten got the scraps. And now his mother had decided that she was not on his side. She had decided not to protect him. Why should he care how she felt about this whole thing? He already made Bura uncomfortable once to spare her feelings.

He was not going to do it again.

"She's done everything for you," Gohan said, rage in his eyes. He met his little brother's gaze for the first time and he was disgusted.

"And she's done twice as much for you. That's why you're here."

There was no lying about it. Goten knew his brother would never come of his own free will. He was mommy's little pet and he was well rewarded for his obedience.

"I'm here because you've lost it."

"I think you've lost it."

"You hit me."

"You hate me for something I didn't do."

"For something you didn't do?" Gohan scoffed. "I think you've done plenty. I actually think you've done too much."

"Why? Because I fucked Bura?"

He winced at the words. He did not like it, he did not want to think about it. Every time he did, he imagined something like that happening to his little girl and it was terrifying. How could Goten not understand how wrong it was? He was certain he would have flipped if an older man had made a pass at Pan. He used to be very protective of her and now? Did that all go away for nothing? Was he really willing to give up everything for a girl? A girl that was nothing more than a child?

"Yes." This was not the little brother he knew. His little brother did not react like this. His little brother could realize it when he had done a mistake. "Can't you see it's wrong?"

"Can't you see I _had_ to?"

"There's nothing that can't be overcome." His nature meant nothing. He could fight it, he could be more human, more normal. He did not have to give into his saiyan side. He chose to do it. He was not a pure blood, he had human in him and he was certain that was strong enough to compensate for the rest.

"You don't know."

"I'm saiyan too."

"But you don't know how it feels." Everything in his body was pulling him towards Bura. And no matter how much he tried to ignore it, it had been for a while now. No - no that was not it. They were friends and - he did not know. He knew nothing. All he knew was that his brother was pissing him the fuck off. "I _need_ her, or it feels like I'm gonna die. If I'm not with her, I - I'm not me."

"You're already not yourself," his brother reprimanded.

"What do you know about who I am?" he accused. "You don't know me. You've been too busy living your perfect life. You don't know me and you don't know my life." Gohan always had everything come to him easily. He had the accepting human wife, the baby, the job - he had it all. He did not know what it was like to scramble for anything. Goten had never been able to find someone to accept him - someone who understood him. Bura did though. No matter all the changes he went through, she stood by him.

It was not always easy and they spent most of their time fighting but she was there for him. Risks be damned.

Nobody else was there for him like she was.

How could a girl he always turned down be there for him, when she gained nothing? Meanwhile, no one in his family could support him?

"Maybe if you had bothered to be there for me, maybe we would have a relationship. But you're too busy judging me to check up on me." He scrunched his nose. "Get out of here before I remind your face what it's like to be hit by my fist." For the sake of the brotherhood they once had, he was giving him a chance to walk away. He had already lost it on him once, and that would be all that he would do.

He stared down into his brother's eyes for a second longer before closing the door in his face.

It did not matter how hard they tried to make themselves look good and guilt-free; his family did not understand him.

Only Bura did.

-M-

_He_ had come to him. Again.

He had seen the desperation in his eyes and all he had done was lead him to the GR. He wanted to tap into that unused power. He wanted to shape him and form him into what he wanted. He could not say that he enjoyed the way he fought with his brother - but he did. The woman would never let him hear the end of it. But, for once, he had reacted the right way - the saiyan way. His brother had challenged him time and time again and he had finally decided to make the right choice. He showed him who was the dominant one and he had won.

At least the boy was not as hopeless as he seemed. Maybe there was something to be done with him compared to his useless father.

"Is that all you got?" Vegeta taunted.

Goten felt the sweat dripping from the side of his head. _No_ , it was not. His body was aching, his muscles were throbbing but he knew there was something else dormant within him. His short discussion with his brother had left him _enraged_. He had needed an outlet and he figured that Vegeta was the best way to go about getting rid of that excess energy. He had gladly accepted. Of course, he knew it was all about punching his face, but he did not care. It did him some good as well and he had managed to land in a few punches. He was getting better at it and he was more precise than before.

He also needed to talk to Bura. But that would come after he finished sparring with Vegeta.

"Vegeta?"

The voice was faint, coming from the other side of the GR but there was no mistaken who she belonged to; Bulma. Goten saw Vegeta wince and he knew it meant nothing good. Vegeta lowered himself back to the ground, his fist still ready to launch at Goten's face. It hardly mattered if he did not open the door; the woman would walk in regardless.

"VEGETA!" This time her voice was louder as she opened the door of the GR. "YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE," she screeched with her hands on her hips. "I told you I had a gala tonight."

"I don't care about your gala, woman."

"I'm not going alone."

"I'm not going."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she threw a single deadly glare in his direction. "Then enjoy the couch," she threatened as she turned around. The door closed behind her but both men knew it was not the end of it. Bulma Briefs enjoyed losing even less than Vegeta did and she was not about to simply let him get away with it. Within seconds, the gravity slowly faded away and the GR began to turn off. " _Oops_."

 _And she had won_.

Goten watched Vegeta grumble as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "This isn't over," he warned as he walked past him.

He bumped his shoulder on the way out and Goten remained in the GR. Apparently his own training was done - which left him two things to do; he could either walk away and go home or he could go see the girl upstairs. For a moment, he hesitated but then he decided that he knew better; he could not avoid her. He never could. He turned around, resigning himself, and walked out of the power off GR. Unfortunately for him, the blue haired heiress was not upstairs; she was waiting right in front of the door. She was leaning against the wall, adopting her father's trademark position; a glare and crossed arms.

"You're a liar." She was not saying it angrily. She wanted not throwing a tantrum and ripping his head off. She was simply accusing him. She meant to do it better than this but she could not. While he had been off collecting his feelings and dealing with the fall out with his family - well, she had been plagued with more memories than she cared to have.

"What?"

"You're a fucking liar." She uncrossed her arms and finally detached herself from the wall. She took a step forward, closing the gap between their bodies. Her eyes narrowed and her stance was more aggressive. "I was the one in love right?" Her own words were shaming her but she would pretend they were not. "You're a fucking liar." She saw it. He was not admitting his love for her but she was on his mind more than once. He even thought he had fucked her. For that to be a possibility - he had to at least, somewhere in his subconscious, think that she was attractive. But he put all the blame on her. She defended him, she protected him - she carried so much guilt.

But he was just as guilty.

Her father, her mother - they had both been right. There had been something there long before the full moon. The moon only sped up the process - it gave them a chance.

"Look, B, it wasn't like that." He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the dampness upon his scalp. "I - I just- you were always important to me." He had lived through a good amount of years. He did not remember every single memory that he lived through - and to top it all off, he had never added them up. However, now, the bond was being gracious enough to line them up for him - for them. He could see how it might appear a certain way when it was one after the other. However -

However he had no argument.

He did not want her to know he once thought he might have fucked her.

He did not want her to know that he did notice her a little more after Paris broke his heart.

He did not want her to know anything because he himself did not want to know it.

He used to hang out with her and he used to enjoy it. It used to be more than that. They used to be closer - even when they were not mated. Now? Now they had nothing. They fucked, they argued and they got into fights with their friends and family. Was it really a way for them to be now? It was not. He wanted them to be more. He kept fighting with his brother, he kept fighting with his mother. He kept telling them that they were not supportive and that they did not love him and understand. Except - what were they supposed to understand? All he did was fuck her right? When did they do anything else?

Maybe he was the problem. Maybe he had to do something to rectify the situation. He felt guilty because he kept fucking her. Maybe he could do something else?

"Let's go on a date."

"W-what?"

Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not one of them. She wanted him to admit to feelings he pretended he did not have. He was always pushing her away, acting as if them together was the worst thing in the world. But the memories did not lie. He had pushed her away time after time. And now? Now he was asking her on a date. She wanted to push him away, she wanted to make him chase after her. After all, he had let her chase after him for years. Maybe it was his turn to wait and feel miserable. Except, if he did feel miserable, she would feel miserable as well. And did she want that? Did she want to lose him, did she want to further them from each other?

She was tired of fighting. She was tired of pulling away from something they could not avoid.

This one, just this one she would let him win.

"You better take me somewhere nice." She wrinkled her nose. "And take a shower."

It was the last words she spoke to him before detaching herself from the wall. She walked away from him without a word or a glance and he watched her do it. He felt an uneasiness in his chest as he felt a stress fill him. This was a whole other level. They had hung out before but none of it had been public. The one time it had been sort of public it had been a mistake. After all, a date was complicated. She was young. Granted he looked young too but the problem was, everybody knew her. Everyone watched her every movements, her steps, her dates. Also, because he was a long time family friend, some did recognize him. And they knew how old he was. They had to be careful.

Most of all, he had to keep his hands to himself. He could not touch her, he could not kiss her.

He ran his fingers through his hair. Sometimes it sounded easier than it was.

-M-

_Awkward_.

She thought it was a stage they had gotten over but apparently she was wrong. Also, Goten's idea of a date was not exactly what she had in mind. A picnic and a movie could be romantic but - he had not made it really romantic. He had chosen a rather secluded location for their picnic - and that was after he had made her take a few precautions to actually get to the location. She understood a bit of his paranoia but he had to calm down. After a meal, one she had no appetite for, they headed to the movies. She initially thought they were going to talk - about the memories or something else. However, not much talking was done, leaving her disappointed.

She could tell he was nervous - but for fuck's sake.

Now she was stuck in a dark room _where no one could_ recognize her and she had to watch a stupid movie she did not want to watch. If this was his idea of woo-ing her, he had it all wrong. How could he know her so little? She did not need a limo and a fancy dinner but… this felt impersonal. And cold. She was tired of them dancing around the issues. He had accepted their fate and so had she. Why were they still lingering in this facade?

Meanwhile Goten felt like smacking himself in the face.

Apparently somewhere along being Paris' lapdog and the whole mess with Bura he had forgotten one thing he used to be good at; dating. They had never dated. They had sex. And - he did not know how to date Bura. To be fair, he never expected to date her. And if, if, if in an impossible universe, it had happened, he knew it would not have gone down like this. He would have had to take her on a million dates before getting anywhere near her prize. Now they had it all backwards. Though, for his defence, Bura was not going easy on him. He agreed this was a little flat but he was going with what he could use. Despite how upset she might be at the moment he did not think she would enjoy them making the front pages.

Although it was bound to happen at some point…

But he would prefer if it happened in a few years. Like when she was above 18 years old.

"B?"

She leaned into him but she did not say anything.

"I'm sorry."

She popped her lips. "A little late." She had allowed him to shut her up when she was trying to bring up a much needed fight. She thought it would pay off but she had been wrong. The only reason she had not stormed off was because she did not want to walk away from the first date. They already had a bunch of crappy memories and horrible firsts - she wanted one decent one. Although, it was sad that this was the winning memory. She did not want her life to be this. She did not want to wait years for this to feel normal. She needed it to be normal now - but maybe it was crazy. Maybe this was not working out the way she had expected.

She thought he was more saiyan now. She thought he would listen to himself more but she was wrong.

He was not fighting for her and he would never be fighting for her. He was just trying to better a bad situation - and the shame was not going away. Maybe it would not be as bad in a few years. But for now, he was making it a living hell for her. She fought him, she fought everyone. He only fought when his instincts became too much to bear. The real Goten did not actually fight for her. She thought he had let go of most of the chains that were pulling him down but this date prove to her that there were a lot of things he was not willing to admit to himself and to her.

The memories did not lie and yet he refused to speak of it.

They would not walk down the street hand in hand. They would not cherish each other in a restaurant - or kiss in a park. Their relationship would be neutral until he decided there was no more shame attached to it.

Goten swallowed hard as he watched the many emotions that flashed through her eyes. There was anger in her voice but she was not allowing it to slip her; she remained in full control. Perhaps that was even scarier. He even wanted her to shout and lash out at him. He would feel more at ease. He had tried - but she was not pleased. What else did she want him to do? He knew it was not the best but he was making an effort. She of all people was supposed to understand how complex and difficult it was. How was she so accepting of their situation? How had she developed feelings for him without ever having any guilt about it? Perhaps because she was not the one who could face the consequences. She would always be the victim. He would be the bag guy.

He already was.

"I'm leaving," she finally said as she rose from her seat.

He tried to stop her but his whisper fell on deaf ears. "Bura." As she made her way through the rows of seat, he knew he had to follow her. It was screaming inside of him. He dropped the popcorn to the ground and dashed after her.

She never even tried to stop. Instead, she made it all the way to the outside of the theatre, pushing the big doors opened. They nearly hit him in the face as they closed but he avoided them.

"Bura," he tried a little harder.

But it did not work.

Instead, he was force to grab her arm to stop her. His fingers laced around her wrist as he tugged her in his direction to bring her to a halt.

"Stop," she hissed.

He did not want to be seen with her. He did not want a scene to be made but he was not helping himself. "I swear, I will shout if you don't let go." It was not hard for people to recognize her. If the blue hair did not, her face did. She was the famous sixteen years old genius. A lot of teenager wanted to get with her and locked down her family's fortune. Of course, her father's rage had kept away a few of the boys, so she was not as harassed as her brother. Her father did not really care about her brother's love life. Lucky for him.

"Bura, we need to talk."

She scoffed; he had some fucking nerve. "Are you kidding me?" she said louder than intended. She yanked her arm away from him and pulled away. "I tried to talk to you. You suggested this crappy date."

"Crappy? It's kinda hard to find something to do when," he paused to look around, "when I can't really be seen with you… in a _romantic_ relationship."

"Ashamed are we?" They were supposed to be over this, they were supposed to have accepted their fate. Why was he throwing away all of their progress? He lied, he avoided the issue…

" _I can be arrested."_

She threw her head backwards, annoyance boiling in her blood. "Nobody is going to arrest you for touching me." She threw her hands up in the air. "Trust me, nobody is going to arrest you _ever_. My mother has enough money to buy this whole town twenty million times."

"Money is not always the solution."

"Trust me, if any picture popped up, my mother would take care of it." After all, she had done that already. She knew that money was not a magical solution but her mother's money and her father's rage were enough to pretty much fix any situation. He did not believe in her enough to consider his feelings and his situation. She would not let him go to jail but he was too blinded by his shame to consider any other options. He had to let go of that. "Maybe if you weren't so busy being ashamed of me, you would have talked to me." She was the _kid_ according to him but she was the only one trying to get the truth out in the open.

"B, it ain't like that."

"Then what is it? Why don't you want people to see?"

"B- I already told you."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Bullshit, I already called you out on your crap. Next lie."

"B, it isn't that simple."

"You beat the crap out of your brother when he disrespected us - and me." She shrugged. "Why is this any different?" Why did certain thing piss him off but he could let other things go? It made no sense.

"Because - it's -"

His brother directly challenged him about this. Bura was going on about it a different way. Plus - nobody actually said anything to him. He simply did not feel quite comfortable to do it. He did not need the added trouble. He was basically out of work at the moment and he was no longer speaking with anyone in his family. What was he supposed to do? Turn his back on the world as well?

"I can't lose everything I have."

"You have me," she answered, containing her emotions. _His words hurt_. She was always relinquished to the background. He was willing to never speak to his brother again but he was not willing to say out loud what she meant to him.

Why was he so frustrating?

"Bura, it's not the same. I can't - My whole life was shifted upside down."

"Mine too."

"But-" But it was not the same. She did not want the same things as he did. Also, her life would not change like his would. She was prepared for that kind of changes already. He had not been. He had not been secretly hoping for this for years. _Alright_ , maybe she had happened to cross his mind once or twice, but he had never thought it would be a relationship. It was bad thoughts he would have never dwelled upon.

"B, I just - I need time to figure it out."

"You've had time."

"Not enough time."

She sighed. "You won't even talk about the problem. You're ashamed of me. The reason you don't want people to know is because you feel shame. You don't want them to judge you. You don't want them to - you don't want them to think less of you." She shook her head. "But they are strangers. When your brother tried to make you feel shame, you were not fine with it. What's different?"

The difference was that his brother challenged him. His brother appealed to his instincts and forced him into a fight.

"I - I don't know."

She shook her head again, tears stinging at her eyes. "You know what, if I'm not worth it, then you're not worth it." She gave up. "I thought we figured this out. I thought we were past this. I thought you had accepted this. But it's just like before. You can't admit you felt anything for me. You can't own up to your own shit." She popped her lips. "Maybe we need time to figure this out. Because I won't be hidden away. You either take me, the same way you fought for me with your brother. Or you don't get me."

It was childish and it was spoiled of her. But he pushed her to this. He yanked her around, he played with her feelings and she was sick of it.

"You either feel one way or another. Figure it out."

He watched her walk away, his heart heavy.

Why was he not stopping her from walking away?

-M-


	23. Failure to Launch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Life. That is pretty much the only thing I can say. But I will be focusing on each stories one at a time, until they are completed. If that helps?

_The reflection in the mirror was very unpleasing._

_She tried to turn to the side, the front - any direction but it did not help. It did not matter what shirt she wore, what bra she put on - it made no difference. She looked like she was flat. It made no sense! Her mother was known for her rather large chest and Bura always assumed that she would inherit it as well. Unfortunately, she had hit the tender age of 12, and nothing had ever grown. She had seen pictures of her mother around 12-13 years old and she already had a good budding chest. How in the world was she so flat? She sighed in frustration before throwing herself on the bed. She was never going to have breasts. She was going to be flat forever and it was not fair. She punched her bed repetitively with her fists, letting her rage out._

_After a moment, she collected herself._

_If life was not going to give her boobs, she would give herself boobs._

_For the next hour, she tried everything she could think of; double bra, stuffing, big shirts… until finally she found a suitable option. A tank top, two bras and two socks. She had followed the videos and she had managed to give herself something that looked like a cleavage. Proud of herself, she finally smiled in the mirror. It was summer. Once she went back to school, she could convince everyone it was a growth that happened over the summer. Nobody would know anything. It would be a lot of work but she had standards to held up. Her mother had big breasts and everyone expected her to grow one too. Life did not want to help, so she would have to help herself._

_Maybe it was time to test it out. She could go shopping and see if it attracted attention._

_She held her head high as she exited her bedroom, determined to make an impression. She was twelve years old and it was time that she looked like a woman instead of a child. Her ponytail was swaying left and right as she hopped down the stairs. Once she reached the bottom however, the silence of the house was broken by the sounds of footsteps. The front door opened and two people walked in; Goten and Trunks. At first, they were chatting, completely ignoring her. At some point, Trunks turned his head, but once he realized it was her, he basically dismissed her. At least, until he noticed something was quite different on her._

_He did a double take and then he pinched his lips together. It took barely a second for his control to break and he busted out laughing. His laughter attracted Goten's attention who noticed what his friend found so funny._

_"Oh my god, are you kidding me," Trunks said between laughters. "This is the funniest thing I've ever seen."_

_Bura felt the redness spread across her cheeks but she refused to acknowledge him. She would not let him get the best of her. She had nothing to be ashamed of and he was the one being a complete dick to her. There was nothing wrong with what she did._

_Her brother she could ignore - she had done it her whole life. The person she could not ignore was Goten. His laughter brought tears to her eyes. She could take Trunks' insults; she had done so her entire life. But Goten? He had always been kind to her. He respected her - unlike her brother - and - and she did not want him to think she was an idiot. She did not want him to make fun of her. He was a big part of the reason she had been going through those self doubts. She had seen the girls her brother and his best friend brought him; they looked like women. She wanted to look like that. Life had decided to be unkind to her and she had decided to fix it._

_Goten was not supposed to laugh, he was supposed to stare._

_The tears were burning her cerulean eyes and she knew that she had to escape this hell. They were stripping her pride away by laughing at her, but she refused to let them see her cry. She wanted to retain that chunk of pride. She forcefully closed her eyes shut before stomping all the way up upstairs._

_Of course, her brother's laughter was only fuelled by her reaction but she was too far gone to hear him_

_"Can you believe her?" Trunks asked as he wiped away tears that were forming in the corner of his eyes. He had always known his little sister to be a little extreme but now she was taking it to a whole new level. She should be thanking him instead of being so angry. After all, he was sparring her the humiliation of having to face the world looking like that. Any fool with a pair of eyes could tell that those were not breasts. He was doing her a favor._

_Unlike his friend, Goten had stopped laughing the moment Bura stomped on the first step. Instead of feeling amusement, he was riddled with guilt. He had not meant to make her cry. He had not meant to be responsible for her tears. He had been caught up in the moment. No matter how old she was, Bura had a talent for class. She alway dressed up, she always look proper. For him to see her looking like that - it was impossible not to laugh. She was the daughter of a genius and she was one herself. Surely she could have come up with a better way to increase her… non-existent chest. He had not meant to laugh, he had not meant to hurt her feelings._

_"Man, she's a kid. She's just -"_

_Trunks' eyes narrowed. "Man - come on. Don't defend her. She has to learn to not be such an idiot."_

_His best friend's words did nothing to ease the guilt that was growing in Goten's chest. He had grown up with a much older brother and no sisters. Boys played rough, and though even his own niece Pan played rough as well, he came to realize that girls were a bit more sensitive. And Bura represented the epitome of drama. Although she often went overboard, and sometimes it was for attention seeking purposes only, she had feelings. And he had really hurt them. Trunks seemed to be over the issue as he kept shaking his head while he headed to the kitchen._

_"Are we making food or what?"_

_"Yeah, sure, I just, do you mind if I just use the bathroom?" He lifted his hands, showing the dirt staining his skin. Their sparring had been intense. "I don't wanna leave a mess in your mom's kitchen."_

_"Like she cares," dismissed Trunks with a shrug of the shoulders. His mother was not the one doing the cleaning. Then again, if Trunks had grown up with a mother like Chichi, he might have the same ridiculous fear. "Hurry up, I ain't waiting for you," warned Trunks as he disappeared into the next room._

_He should not have lied to his best friend. Goten was well aware of that. However, since Trunks did not seem to share the same guilt as him, there was no point in trying to explain to him what he had to do. They had teased the girls a lot while they grew up, but this was different. For the first time, he had seen Bura - broken. It was not a good look on her and it made him feel uneasy. She had inherit both of her parents' pride which meant that seeing her down was actually extremely rare. He did not like it. It was simple laughters. Surely it could not be enough to shatter the ego of someone like Bura. And yet it was. He gulped. She ignored him most of the time. She did try to sneak into their activities all of the time but he never thought much of it. Pan and Bura were very different and did not always get along. And that left them as the other saiyans that Bura could hang out with - and so she did._

_It did not strike him as odd. Actually, it always made him think of how lucky he had been to be able to grow up with a friend like Trunks around._

_Loneliness could easily creep up. Which he often felt when his best friend was busy with his big shot career._

_Finally, he made it to Bura's door. He did not even have to be near it to hear the sniffles coming from inside and he felt his heart sink in his chest. He was an asshole. She was twelve years old. She should not be crying because boys were mean to her. Granted he was no boy, but regardless. He did not want to see her hurt. He raised his hand, ready to knock, but decided against it. What was the point in knocking? It was not as though she was going to invite him. Going in without a warning or an invitation might appear as rude, but he had already crossed that line. He might as well go all the way. God, he was too old and yet too young to properly handle the ego of a twelve years old._

_He wrapped his fingers around the door knob, forgoing all politeness, and pushed it open. Inside, he found a mess of blankets in the middle of the bed, and he could only imagine that Bura was hiding beneath it all. As soon as he stepped foot inside, the sniffling sounds stopped and he saw the blankets move. Apparently she had gone from sad to angry quite rapidly. Her ki was not that significant, but it was enough for him to notice the sudden shift in power. Regardless, he went through with what he had begun. He walked in and closed the door behind - without ever wondering if it was a good idea for his personal safety to be in the same room as Vegeta's daughter with the door closed. She was 12. Of course it never occurred to him._

_"B…"_

_And then it hit him._

_Literally._

_A pillow was swung at him full force and though it was not much, it was enough to send him smacking into the door. He fell on his rear, the pillow still stuck to his face. Clearly she was absolutely thrilled that he was here. He peeled the pillow from his face and tossed it onto the ground. On the bed, he found a different sight. Bura was on her knees, surrounded by blankets, while her hair was a mess. Strands of blue were going in every directions, while some locks glued to her wet face. Some of her make up was dribbling down her face, while her new… chest… was starting to come out. But this time he would not laugh. This time he would not comment on it._

_He was not here for this._

_As a matter of fact, that sight of her face stained with tears only increased the tugging in his chest. God he was an ass._

_"B, I want to apologize."_

_"I don't need your stupid apology," she spat out as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Which in retrospective was not the best choice, since it only forced the padding out more. But she did not care._

_She had her pride._

_A pride that was close to crumbling. As if it was not enough that he laughed at her, that he embarrassed her, now he was here. He had to see her in tears and completely disheveled. When would she ever catch a break? What in the world made him think that she wanted to see him? She could take and accept her brother's harsh words. But not Goten's mockery._

_It was too much._

_"I shouldn't have laughed. I didn't mean to laugh."_

_"Really, cause you really seemed to enjoy it."_

_She had to look away from him. Meeting his gaze was too much for her. If their eyes met, she would not be able to keep this cold detached facade. He would see right through her and she had enough embarrassment for one day. She did not need to be humiliated any more than she had been already._

_"I-I'm sorry I was surprised."_

_"Whatever. Anything else?"_

_She wanted him to leave. She did not want him to see her like this._

_"B, I am sorry." He lifted his arm and scratched the back of his head. He was not good at this. He was not good at apologizing. He did not even mean to hurt her in the first place. It was not like that. There had been an awkwardness and it was almost comical. "I just- I don't see why you did it." He winced. Maybe that was not the right thing to say._

_"Excuse me?"_

_She did not need it? No, she was just supposed to keep looking flat chest. People were making fun of her for being flat chested and now people were making fun of her for having a chest. There was no way for her to win. The only good thing was that she tested this out before actually doing it outside in public. God, she felt like such a fool. She turned herself into a complete moron. It had seemed like the right thing to do, the right way to bring her pride back up. Instead, it shattered her and it took away who she was._

_"You're beautiful without those things." He did not know what she had shoved in her bra and he was not quite sure he wanted to know. He closed the distance between them and rested a hand on her shoulder. Despite all that, she still refused to look at him. He was not surprised; what would this family do without her pride? "You don't need that. You don't need to change anything. You're pretty just the way you are."_

_Alright, now it was primordial that she did not meet his gaze. He had no idea how much it meant to her to hear those words coming from him. She always wanted him to call her beautiful, she always wanted a closeness with him. She was no idiot, she knew that he was much older than her but it never stopped her heart from racing whenever he was near. He represented everything a partner should be, and a simple smile from him could turn her into goo. No other man she had met could do that. Only him._

_But he - he saw her as something to make fun of, something that could be ridiculed. He certainly did not see her as a woman. And why should he? She was not a woman. She was a mere child._

_And that would never change._

-M-

"Did you guys fight?"

Silence.

As per always.

"Is it something else?"

How could it be anything else? It seemed that at the moment, her entire life revolved around Goten and their relationship. When had she done something that was not affected by him? When was the last time she enjoyed herself? Actually, when was the last time she was happy? Every time they came close to finding an understanding, a way to make the situation okay for all parties involved, Goten had to go and ruin it. And if that was not enough, he also had the horrible habit of yanking at her heart strings. One moment he was absolutely in love with her and the next, he was pulling away. Even now, he had proposed a date and yet, he was ashamed of her.

She was Bura fucking Briefs. If anyone should have been ashamed, it should have been her. Not him.

"Mom, do you want something?"

Bulma's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Listen, I get your upset, but don't get that tone with me." It hardly mattered how grown up her daughter was trying to be, or what adult situation she found herself in. She remained a child. "I am trying to help."

"I don't need help."

"I swear to god, you are too much like your father." Granted Bulma was not the first one to ask for help, but she could recognize a situation where she might need someone. Her daughter however, was much like her father. She would die before admitting she needed help. "You do need help," she pointed out as she walked in further into the room.

Yes, she did need help. Help on how to get over him, on how to stop getting all of those flashbacks, and on how to have a normal life again. But those were thing that anyone could help her with. She was left all on her own to figure it out. Actually, what she had to do was learn how to live with it because Goten and her would be bonded until the end of time and there was no changing that.

She would have loved that back when she was a silly 12 years old.

Back then, she thought love was much simpler. She thought she could simply get what she wanted.

Now she had it, and she had no control over it. It was fake, it was painful…

"What happened with Goten?"

"Nothing." Like always. Nothing willingly happened. He was always holding himself back.

"Bura…"

"What do you want me to say mom?" she snapped. "You want me to tell you how ashamed of me he is? How he's never gonna really be with me? I've done it all, I've tried it all. I've played nice, I've played dirty. I've thrown everything at him and I'm done." Or as done as the bond would let her be. There had to be a way to lessen the need for him in her life.

Bulma let a long sigh slip her pinks lips before she joined her daughter on the bed. When your pride was hurt, it was a difficult hurdle to overcome. And the Briefs women were not used to the word no. They always got what they wanted. Vegeta was not a fan of the word either. It ran in her blood; she liked to win, she liked to come out on top. Unfortunately, sometimes, life did not work this way. She did not know why her daughter was fated for this misery but she refused to believe her only daughter would give up. They never gave up; they kept on pushing until they won.

"Honey…"

"Save it mom. You've already given me the speech."

Giving up was shameful. But how much heart break could she seriously take? How much more would she allow him to drag her through the mud? She had to be the one to initiate it all, she had to blackmail him, she had to push him around… when he initiated the date, she finally thought they were getting somewhere. But like everything else, he ruined it. It made her come to the conclusion that she did not need him. He was not ready. He kept calling her a child but he was the one who was behaving childishly. He should have accepted by now that there was no way out of this. Not only that, but with every new memory she gained, she was forced to see that he always felt a little something for her.

Why was he rejecting it now that it was finally okay for him to feel that way?

"So, that's what you want?"

"What?"

"You want to not have him in your life?"

Bura sighed. She wanted that but unfortunately it was apparently not a possibility.

"I could help."

"What?"

Bulma shrugged her shoulders. "I'm smart, I'm sure I could come up with something that could help you two be far from each other." Of course, she probably would have to bother the crap out of Vegeta to find out more information but she could do it. It had to have something to do with kis and whatnot. Maybe she could block it, or trick it. There had to be a way. She was the smartest woman on this planet. If anyone could find a solution, it was her. She hardly thought it was the right one but… well her daughter was miserable, and she was free to do her own choices and her own mistakes. If this was the path she wanted to follow, she would help her.

It was better to do this than to watch her suffer.

"Is that even possible?"

"Why not?"

Her mother was right. There had to be something that could be done. Maybe not but…at least… it was worth a try. Goten and her had both given up. Why not give themselves a chance at a real love? Her ego and pride could no longer take this situation and he was clearly miserable living this life as well. Yes, this was the way to go. It would meant she loss, but this was one loss she was willing to accept. She had tried every tricks up her sleeve and Goten still pushed her away. She deserved more.

"Alright."

And just like that, she might sealed their faith.

 

-M-

_He was fucking grown man._

_And yet that did not stop him from pacing in his apartment, too nervous to even call Bura. Too nervous to even text her or see her. He had tried to make it better, he had tried to improve the horrible situation they were in and yet… he ended up making it a lot worse. He was a smooth guy, he had his ways with the lady but… when it came to Bura it was like he was complete fucking utter moron. Why? This one, he had to be with for the rest of his life. Why could he not get it right at least once?_

_Frustration pounded at his chest and he tossed his cellphone on the couch. For fuck's sake._

_This was the stupidest idea he ever had. He did not even know how he convinced himself to go through with it. And yet there he was, standing in the mall, looking for his target. He had purposefully chosen Paris' workplace to do this. Again, she had been the one to toss him away like he meant nothing. After her mistakes, he forgave her and they gave their relationship another go. But, once again, she decided that it was not the right thing for her and she had ended things. She had cheated, and she got to actually humiliate him. There was only so much his pride could take._

_And so, he had decide that he would rub in her face how well he was doing without her._

_Of course, in theory the plan had sounded great. But when it was time to put it to execution he found that it was a little more difficult. He had skills, but he was not what one would call a player. Plus, his heart was still in pieces from what she did - even if he would not admit it. He had to find a girl, convince her and then play the part convincingly. But he did not wnat to unnecessarily hurt someone. After all, he was not looking for a relationship. Paris had taught him that they were nothing more than trouble and heartaches. He needed to be single for a while. This would be a good practice to get back into the game and it would maybe offend Paris a little. It was a win-win._

_Now he just needed to find a girl._

_Although the mall was swarming with girls, finding the right one was not easy. On top of returning his advances, she had to be prettier than Paris. Or it would not hurt. It was a lot to consider since Paris… well despite her many flaws, she was one of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He would be lying if he said her looks were not what had attracted him at first. He wanted her. But, that was a thing of the past. He could not let her break his heart one more time. He had to help himself get over her, and retrieve some of his pride in the process. Which was why he had to focus himself on the task at hand. His eyes glanced the mall until he finally landed his glance on a petite girl with blue hair. She was wearing a tight black skirt that molded her ass and his eyes trailed to her small waist._

_Hopefully she had the face to match the body. He took a step forward, hoping to get a better glance at her. As if she knew, she tilted to the side, to reveal to his eyes a large chest and plump red lips. Unfortunately, the rest of his face was hidden by big white sunglasses. Surely her eyes could not ruin the pretty picture in front of him right? It was worth a shot. He made his way towards her, confidence in his stride. He could do this. He could absolutely do this. His heart was beating a little fast as he reached her and hovered behind her. What was the best way to get her attention? Maybe he could accidentally bump into her? God, that was lame. But what else did he have? Nothing._

_Bumping it was._

_And he did it. He kept walking until he nearly tripped over her body. Quickly he gripped her shoulders from behind to steady her - but he found that she was never about to topple._

_"Seriously?"_

_That voice…he knew it. And as the pretty girl turned around, she did not have to take her sunglasses off for him to know who it was. And he was about to die._

_But she picked up on it first. "Goten?"_

_"B-bura?" The thoughts he had about her. The things he was going to try to do with her to get Paris jealous… with tiny, young Bura. Oh god, he was losing his mind. How in the world did he not sense it was her? He was familiar with her ki? How was he such a fucking moron. Her sunglasses slipped from her nose and now, her blue orbs were staring right into his soul. Clearly she was waiting for a logical explanation as to what happened. And he did not have one. Think, quick, think quick. "I- I I thought it might be you."_

_"So you tried to push me over?" she asked, a perfectly trimmed eyebrow arched._

_"Hm, yeah, sorry about that. Miscalculated the distance." Yes. Him. A brilliant fighter. He miscalculated and landed onto her. That was almost plausible. Idiot._

_And indeed, she did not seem to believe him - and yet she offered him a shrug of the shoulders. "It's fine," she brushed it off._

_Silence befell, and Goten was forced to shift his weight from one foot to another. He could not simply leave. He was the one that came to her and if he simply ran off to go hit a girl, she might ask some questions… Plus… well, if she kept the sunglasses, he was certain Paris would not recognize her. After all, he himself did not recognize her. A shudder almost ran through him. Did he really want to do? He already hated himself for checking her out and now he wanted to use her as bait? When had he sunk so low as a person? He should be better than this._

_But Paris… broke him?_

_"Well, what do you want?"_

_She was getting annoyed. He was the one who stalked her and now he was just staring at her. Did he not know how hard it was to keep up a facade while he stared at her like that? Did he not know the struggle she went through to keep her feelings bottled up. He had not seem to recognize her but she had sensed his ki the moment he got near her. But, because he was not calling out to her, she decided to wait for him to approach her. After all, she did not want to appear as though she was desperate. Desperation was not a good scent on her. Plus, it was no way to get a man. It was better to be independent._

_"Hm, well, I - hm, see I was supposed… to meet Trunks." Lie. More lies. God, when did he turn into such an awful person? "For lunch. But he bailed. Hm, do you wanna eat something?"_

_For a second, she was convinced that her ears were playing tricks on her. They did see each other from time to time and he - they hung out. But that was mostly because he was always over at her house and… they did not do things outside of her home. This was - she okay… she had to regain control. She could not let him see her surprise. She had to act cool and nonchalant. And yet, none of that helped her slow down her poor heart. It was hammering in her chest, her lips becoming dry from the stress forming in her chest. She could do this, she could pull it off._

_"Are you inviting?"_

_He chuckled. Phew. That worked. "What kind of uncivilized ape do you take me for?"_

_"A saiyan?" she tried with a hint of teasing in her voice._

_"Touche." He ran his fingers through his hair, sleeking it back. "Is that a yes?"_

_"Why not, I got some time to waste." She had all day, every day. What else was she going to do? Plus, it was a chance to be along with Goten. How many of those was she ever going to get? She needed to snatch this opportunity and made the best of it. Of course, he only saw her as a little sister…but maybe she could take advantage of that to sneak in a little more touching than she should. After all… to him she was family right?_

_Without thinking twice about it, she grabbed his arms, pressing her chest against it, and she began dragging him along. "I am warning you, I have expensive tastes."_

_He heard her, but he did not hear her at the same time. He found himself staring at the spot where their bodies were touching. His arms was sinking into her large chest, as it formed a nice pillow for it. And he did not just think that. What in the world was wrong with him? It was little B. And she was always going to be little B to him._

He had done it before.

He had used Bura before.

And he thought tricking her into lunch with him made him a bad person. Man, how far had he fallen since then? Still, the memory made him gulp. Was he the bad guy? Had he led her on at any point? Had he wanted to do that? Why was it that every time he thought it was not her, he let himself enjoy the sight of her? But anytime he was reminded who he was looking at, he chastised himself… If she had not been who she was, if he had known nothing about her… would he have gone for her? It was not like she looked her age. She could lied to him and told him whatever she wanted… and… and he might have gone for it. He might have actually fucked her.

Oh god.

What was wrong with him?

He was torn apart.

His regular self would have fucked Bura.

He felt his heart sink in his chest. He had hit on her, he had led her on and now he was the one who was pushing her away constantly. He was willing to flirt with her at the store before he even knew who she was. And now? Now he did not want to be seen in public with her. She had been right this entire time. He was the problem, he was the one putting the damper. She was just bolder. She had accepted everything a lot sooner than he had. But none of this changed that - the situation was not perfect. He did know her. He did know her age. It was not like the simple fact of wanting to fuck her erased all of his morals and everything he believed in.

But… but he might had been wanting her from before.

He might also be the reason they ended up together that night under the full moon. He did not hold himself back because…because if the situation had been different, he would have given in. He would have let her suck him into her world and he would not have put up a fight.

Could he forgo himself for a chance with her?

 

-M-


	24. Mingling Saiyan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keeping my promises

He tried calling.

She did not pick up.

He tried texting her.

She never replied.

He even showed up at her door once and no one picked up.

He even desperately showed up in front of her window but he found an empty room.

Goten was running out of ways to talk to her. There was no way he was going to Vegeta about this - and well, Trunks was also out of the question. Mating Bura had isolated him from all of his options. Even from his own brother. Not that he had any intention of talking to that bastard but _still_. He was left all by himself. The worst part? He was not even convinced yet of what he wanted to do. Was he supposed to - jump at her? Tell her he was lying? What was the point of talking to her? He had figured that once he saw her, he would know. Except, now he was not that sure about it.

Angry, he tossed his phone on the couch, only to watch it bounce back on the floor. Hopefully he had not broken it. It was clear she did not want to see his face which meant his phone might be his best option. _Maybe if he stopped fucking up once in a while_.

_"Hey."_

_Silence._

_"Hey you two."_

_Two blue eyes were cracked opened. She could see a hand being gestured in front of her face but the rest of the world was still too blurred for her to realize who it was. Once everything focused again, she saw her brother waving his hand in front of her face while looking aggravated._

_"Seriously. What are you two? Old people?" He sighed. "I leave you along for what half an hour? And you fall asleep on me!"_

_They had been watching a movie, the three of them. As per usual, her brother's phone had rang and he had abandoned them to take the call. Goten and her had been forced to pause the movie. They had chatted for a bit and then - well apparently they had fallen asleep. As her brother yapped in the background, she took a look at her surrounding. The sight she saw nearly made her cheeks blushed. They had not just fallen asleep; they were tangled up into each other. His arm was around her shoulder while hers was draped over his stomach. Their legs were intertwined and her head had managed to find its way to his chest. He was no better. He was resting his head on hers, his nose tangled up in her blue locks._ And her brother was not saying anything.

_"And stop using Goten as a teddy bear, he's not one of your plushie you sleep with all the time."_

_He did not seem mad about the position they were in. It almost felt like she was embarrassing him more than anything else. However, his tone did stir Goten from his sleep. A yawn passed his lips as he stretched his body, removing his head from hers. Like Bura, it took him a few seconds to regain his bearings. At first, he seemed calm and collected as he observed his surroundings. His onix eyes lingered on her for a moment, calm - until he stared at Trunks. It was as he watched the big eyes his friend was giving him that the situation seemed to dawn on him. Immediately, he pulled himself away from Bura while clearing his throat. He did not even remember feeling sleepy. And he certainly did not remember the moment he decided to cuddle up to Bura to sleep._

_It was not like it was wrong. She was like… family. But, she was much younger… And it could look weird. Even if it totally was not. How could it be?_

_"Sorry about that," he said as he cleared his throat one more time._

_"I swear to god, it's like you two are seventy years old or something." He shook his head as he plopped himself between the two of them. "Can we finish that movie now? Or do you guys need another nap?"_

_"I'm good," Goten replied a little too fast. His heart was skipping an occasional beat. He was a warrior. He was always aware of his surroundings. But with Bura, he was calm and at ease. He let her sneak close to him and he did not even react. Unless he snuck up close to her? It did not matter. It was fine. Everything was fine. He let a sigh slip him before focusing his attention back on the movie._

_Meanwhile Bura was doing her best to appear focus. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she was convinced everyone present in the room could hear it. Her brother had a knack for ruining the good moments. If only Goten and her had woken up by themselves she was certain that it would not have been this awkward. There was something about being stared down by Trunks that created an unnecessary awkwardness. If it had been only the two of them, they would have probably laughed it off and moved on. And this memory would not be as tainted. It was not her fault that she found a certain comfort and safety in his presence._

_God, she looked like an idiot. And now, Goten was not even looking at her._

_Great._

-M-

Her mother was usually right.

Now, there was no guarantee that this was going to work. It was nothing more than a prototype her evil genius mother had concocted in her lab but… Well, as past experiences proved it, her mother was quite the scientist. If anyone could pull off this feat, it was her. Of course, her father did not believe in it. He did not think that human science could even begin to interfere with powerful saiyan bonds. But that was probably more his ego talking than anything else. Regardless, she did find herself sitting in her bed, staring at the vial filled with a strange blue liquid.

She shook it, watching it swirl and splash the sides. She could take it right now. Worst case scenario, it was not going to work. Best case scenario, she would be free. Only her. If Goten wanted to be free as well, he would have to take it too. At least, that was how she understood it when her mother explained it. There was no way to know if it was real. But - but she should do it. Which meant she had to stop thinking about it, and she had to down the whole thing. Today again, she was plagued by memories of the past. She knew it was a desperate attempt from the bond, trying to unite them but it was not going to work. It did not matter how many memories they saw. Goten was set in his ways and she was tired of being turned into a fool.

She deserved better.

She wanted better.

Because there was so much more than this was there not?

There was more than the ache in her heart, the tears burning her eyes and the ping in her chest.

But, there she was, holding the vial. Not drinking it.

_"I'm not sure you're old eno-enough to drink." His words were a little stuttered but he barely seemed to notice._

_He was a saiyan, he could handle some alcohol. He did not have to stop like a weak human; he could go on all night. Although at this point it felt like the night had started a long time ago. He remembered coming in, pissed off and trying to find his best friend. Of course, they did not lead the same kind of life, and he had learned that his friend was yet again at work. The news was announced to him through his best friend's little sister. He had meant to leave, but as per usual, she had gotten him to speak. It was not the first time he ended up drinking with her while mourning over his sorrows. And of course, his problem was the same as always; it was Paris. Once again, they had another fight. Once again, they had broken up._

_He was an idiot. He needed to stop going back to her. He needed to stop trusting her. It was clear that she was never going to change. And yet, she asked and he gave._

_He needed to learn his lesson somehow._

_And apparently he thought that drinking his weight in alcohol was going to help._

_Well, it sort of was. It had helped last time and now once again, he did feel better._

_"I bought them. That allows me to drink them."_

_Okay, so one of the butlers had bought them. It did not matter. Her mother's money was her money. Plus, she was not about to let this opportunity pass. A vulnerable Goten? It was her best chance at getting close to him. Plus, she did care about him and it did sadden her that he was upset. He deserved so much better than that whore. She had told him that before but it seemed that his love for her was too much and he was never able to hold himself back. What did he see in her? What did she have that he kept going back even though he was getting burn every time? How could he never let go of her? Then again, perhaps she should not be one to talk. Goten would never see her as anything more than Trunks' little sister and yet she hung on._

_But at the very least, he had never done anything bad to her. No, he was never returning her feelings but he treated her nicely. Of course she was holding on. There was still that childish hope inside of her that… that one day he might see her for who she actually was. Did he not know how tiredsome it was to always be tied down to someone else? When was she ever her own person? She was her mother's daughter. Anytime she did something amazing and innovative, it was because_ of course _, she was her mother's daughter. When she was cunning, logical and tactical well, she was her father's daughter. And to Goten… she was Trunks' sister. Could she have anything, or could she do anything that was not attributed to someone else?_

_He knew that feeling. She knew he did. She had heard him say it more than once. He was his father's son. His brother's sibling. After all, Goku was a great fighter, and Gohan was marvellous genius. Goten had complained that he had never been able to reach the bar that had been set up for him. Why did he think she connected to him so easily? They were the same deep down._

_But she was the only one who could see that._

_If only he could shift his gaze from Paris long enough to see everything she had to offer._

_But it seemed she would remain in the shadows forever._

_There was nothing more for her._

-M-

He was a moron.

He had been so caught up in what he should do and what he should not do that he never took the time to consider why it could work. She was young, and he was old. It was basically the line he had created between them. Yes, they had been friends, yes they had shared moments and they were part of the few saiyans left. But he never took the time to consider why they got along, or why they could be something. She had. She had thought it through because she was a genius and he was an absolute moron. He always thought that their age difference made it that they could have nothing in common. But he was wrong.

They were similar.

Granted, she scored higher than any in every aspect, but at the core, they shared similar problems. And they had the same complexes.

He never knew that had the same insecurities as him, that sometimes, she felt lost in her own family. It could be difficult to try to establish yourself as a person, to have your own accomplishments when everyone before you had done everything - everything better than you ever will. Anything they ever did was associated to their parents, their siblings…and it was annoying. What he did feel extremely guilty about though, was the fact that he made that situation worse for her. He could have called her his friend, a younger family like member. But instead, he did refer to her a lot as Trunks' sister. As though to exist, she needed to be attached to her brother.

But she did not.

She was a strong woman on her own who did not need anyone's presence or influence in her life. Perhaps that was a quality he had always admired in her. She always knew what she wanted and she always went for it. Even when it was impossible, if Bura wanted it, she got it. Until she came to him. He had been pushing her away a lot. And he was certain that a lot of his reasons were quite valid but… but the more time passed, and the more he realized, that perhaps… he had also been looking a lot of reasons that might indicate that there was a future for them.

They were similar.

They used to be friends.

And, physically, there was a connection. No matter how much he hated to admit it.

Except the age, except the awkward relationships and the way their families were tangled… what really stood in the way?

Except himself of course.

But, the problem was that it felt too late. Bura had yet to reply to him, and she continued ignoring him no matter how much he tried to reach out to her. How else could he show her that, perhaps he had been wrong? They had tried hanging out, they had tried dating and… every single time, he ruined it. He could not blame her for not believing that his next suggestion would fail. It always did. He had to rectify the situation but he did not even have the slightly clue as to how to begin. Perhaps there was some work he had to do on himself first.

If he could stop sabotaging them, maybe there was a way to make this work.

Maybe he could learn to know her again, under different circumstances and with an open mind this time. Perhaps they could have a real, honest relationship this time around.

He wished it was that simple.

-M-

"You're a brat."

Her eyes widened, not believing the insult that had just come out of her father's mouth. If there was one thing she had always pride herself on, it was the way she had her father wrapped around her little finger. He gave into everything she wanted, and he was always nice to her. If there was someone she could always count on to be on her side it was her father.

For the first time in a long time, she was speechless.

"Dad?

He was leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He tried to get involve as little as possible. First of all, it was too late to do much about the situation, second, he did not like to get involve in social interactions. Yes, he had wanted to kill Goten but he had been force to hold himself back. He had tried to train the boy, to better him since his daughter was stuck with him but… that was the maximum of his involvement. Bulma on the other hand had decided to get too involved. She was messing with things she did not know anything about. He had been suspicious when she had begun asking him a lot of questions and it did not take him long to figure out her plot.

And now, he had watched and sensed his daughter's nervousness. He thought it was a moment of foolishness and she could discard her mother's concoction but she had yet to do so. Did she not understand that she could not easily get rid of this? Even if she managed to lessen it, there was no way to tone down a bond. It was for life. It was part of her now. They had merged their life together and no amount of science was going to erase what was done. All she was doing was making it a bigger mess and putting herself through more pain. And who knew what the repercussion would be if only one of them took it? Or if it would not have a bad reverse effect.

Perhaps it was his fault. Perhaps he should have taught her more about the laws and the ways of the Saiyans. Then again, it never crossed his mind that this kind of situation would happen. He never thought she would end up with that idiot. But there they were. And despite how much he hated to have these kind of conversations, it was a necessity. He refused to let her do this.

"I did not take you for an idiot."

"Excuse me?" she asked, insulted as she jumped from her bed. The last thing anyone was allowed to call her was an idiot.

"Do you not intent on taking your mother's crap?"

She scoffed. "It isn't crap. And I asked her for this."

"Because you're an idiot."

"Dad!" She was used to having spats with her mother and her brother but she did not quite know how to do it with her father. He always bended to her will and gave her whatever she asked for - how in the world was she supposed to argue with him? Plus he was set in the old ways. How was she supposed to convince him that this was not the right way for her? "Listen, I'm really glad that this system worked for y'all on Vegetasei, but this isn't your home planet."

"You don't think I know that?"

He also was well aware that his children were not full saiyans. But that did not matter because their saiyan blood was strong within him and their saiyan instincts were stronger than their human ones.

"Then, why can't you understand that this is not for me?"

"Because this isn't how we work."

"I'm not like you," she shouted.

She was different, she was a hybrid and it made her life that much harder. She was half of a world, and half an other. It was also why she always connected to Goten. He was one of the few who could understand how difficult it was to be what they were. And it was not like she could be honest with whoever she wanted. She had to select a person. Gohan had gotten lucky and not everyone could find someone as understanding as Videl. She had an extra struggle she had to get through.

And despite how close she was to her father, it was not like she complained to him about that. How could she? After all, it was much harder for him. He was one of two full blooded saiyans left. He had lost everything. What were her struggles compared to his? And yet, at this very moment she wanted to be a brat about it.

"I can't do this and I refuse to let him win."

"Let him win?" This time, he was forced to enter the room. "You think he is winning?"

"He doesn't want this and he is stopping it. And it's working. I'm at least going to walk away with my pride."

He sighed. "You are too much like your mother." He hated the boy but there was one thing he knew about this; Goten was not winning. Well, he won because he got his daughter, but he was not winning by not being with her. "He is miserable. This is killing him. The only reason he's dragging this is because of his harpy of a mother." He knew Kakarot was too dumb to stand in the way. It was the values that damn mother gave him that made him see this as wrong. He was only making it worse for himself.

"You don't know him."

"I know his instincts better than you."

"He's not a saiyan, dad. He doesn't have your instincts."

"And yet he listened." He trained him and the boy obeyed him like one should obeyed their prince. His instincts had always been there but they had been buried by his human way of life. But it did not mean that they did not exist. The bond with his daughter brought them out.

"Listen, dad. I appreciate it, but this is my decision."

"Then why haven't you taken it?"

Now he was challenging her.

"What?"

"It is your decision. Why haven't you taken it?"

She frowned, a flash of rage appearing on her face. She did not have to explain herself to her. He might be her father but he was not in charge of her life. She understood that everyone wanted to focus on her young age but there was other things about her. And this was something she was convinced of - she refused to be turn down over and over. She had given him more chances than he deserved and she was about done with letting him be the one in charge. If one day, it stopped working, maybe if one day it panned out so be it. But it was not the case right now.

"I just haven't."

"You have your mother's temper."

He was not saying he did not have one. But Bulma had a talent for making rash decisions when she was angry. His daughter had inherited that skill as well. It appeared that she would let the situation overwhelm her and it might not allow her to make the best decisions.

"I will take it. I'm just making sure it's safe." She was not about to get into a conversation about tempers with her father. She was not about to waste her breath on that. Especially since it would not affect her and her final decision. The faster she got rid of him, the faster she could move on with this. And she did not need to explain why she had not taken it yet. That was up to her and it was her own decision. She was going to take it. The time had simply not been right yet. Plus, she was going to double check her mother's science. She had been stuck in this situation for a long time already. There was no reason to be hasty right?

"Do not take it."

"I can do what I want."

"It'll make it worse."

His features transformed and they became colder. It was rare for her father to even try to bully her into doing something.

"I'm not Trunks, dad. I'm not scared of you."

"You'll regret this decision."

"Then it'll be my mistake to make."

"You've been making a lot lately." He had always said that mating was a mistake. And if it could be undone, he would have been the first one to come up with the miracle solution. He finally uncrossed his arms and raised one raised index at her. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I promise I won't come crying to you," she said, barely holding back her sarcasm in her voice.

She was always his baby girl in his eyes and that would never change. He saw her as more fragile than her brother and he always had this need to protect her from everything. Despite everything he had done, he had not been able to protect her from this. Apparently, he could not take all the pains away. He had to watch her screw up her own life. If she was anything like him, she would not take his warning into consideration.

Which meant he would have to _mingle_.

And he hated to _mingle_.

-M-

_What was even the point?_

_Bura let a long sigh exhale from her body as she stared at her reflection. Of course, she looked absolutely fantastic. Her red dress was contrasting with her blue eyes and hair and the beginning of her slim waist was complementing the shape of the dress. However, it did not change the facts. She was about to attend prom alone. Although, that was no surprise. It was bound to happen if one considered the fact that she was many years younger than everyone else in her class. Despite how rich and famous she was, not everyone wanted to attend prom with a child. No, instead, they wanted to go with a girl they could…take somewhere after._

_That left her all alone to attend._

_Obviously, she did not tell her mother that nobody invited her. She simply mentioned that no one was good enough to actually get her attention. Everyone seemed to easily believe it. After all, she had the reputation of a brat._

_But now, as she stared at herself, she found that it made her sad._

_She did not fit in anywhere. She did not fit in with her brother and Goten. She did not fit in at school. No matter what she did, she was excluded. Too young for everything, but nobody had any problem throwing her into the adult world._

_"Bura?"_

_At the sound of Goten's voice, her heart sped up._

_"Hm yes?"_

_"Your brother went to… hmm…" He was not about to tell Trunks' little sister that her brother went to chase some tail. "He had a call he had to take. For the company." Since Trunks was supposed to be taking care of his little sister, the task fell on Goten. As it often did. But he did not mind. His own brother was much older than he was, and he assumed he had also been Gohan's burden at some point. But his brother never made him feel that way. He did not want Bura to have to feel such a horrible emotion. So he stuck around instead of Trunks. "Just, when you're done I'll be outside."_

_Not that Bura needed anyone. She never did. She could do it all on her own. As she so often pointed out._

_"Okay."_

_Silence befell._

_Could she ask? No._

_"Goten?"_

_"Yeah?" He was still there._

_"Can I ask you something?"_

_"Sure."_

_She took a deep breath in a foolish attempt to give herself some courage, and then she yanked the curtain opened. He moved away from the wall and took in the sight. It was not too long before he was grinning at her. "All those guys you turned down? They'll be crying again," he teased._

_Yeah. Because everyone thought she turned them down. She had to keep up the illusion. "You think?"_

_He nodded. "Positive." There was something different in her voice but he could not pin point it._

_"Thanks."_

_Somehow, she needed that. He was only saying it to be nice, he was only saying it because he saw her as a child that needed comforting…but she needed to hear it regardless._

Suspicious _._

Her nose flared as she glared at her surroundings. There was something up with this whole situation and she was going to find out what it was. Her mother had begged her to pick up a part for her in one of the electronic stores of the mall. There was a million people she could pay to come for her but she sent her daughter. She did not trust it. She went as a way to repay the favor for the little _vial_ she gave her but she did not trust it. Unless it was because her parents fought over it and her father asked her mother for more time. That was not going to change. Bura had no intention of changing her mind over this matter. She thought it was the right thing to do. Granted a day had gone by and she had yet to take it but that had nothing to do with anything. It was simply because she was assessing all the risks. She was not stupid enough to take anything that passed by her.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the zap of a familiar ki.

 _She knew it was a trap_.

"Don't leave."

His voice send a shiver down her spine, but she hardened her features regardless. Really? Her father thought this was going to fix things? He was not.

"You don't get to tell me what to do."

She could feel his presence hovering behind her but she refused to face him.

"I know."

He sighed.

"I just - please don't take it."

Well, that confirmed it. Her father was a _snitch_. She did not picture him as someone who got that involved in her personal life. Bastard.

"Why not? I can give you some too." She crossed her arms. "Isn't that what you want?"

"No it isn't." People were walking by them, unaware of the situation happening. He did not want to make a scene but he wanted it to be in public. He wanted to show her that not everything had to be done in privacy. "B, you were right. I am an asshole." He took a step forward. "I focused so much on the bad, that I forgot all the good."

"There is no good."

"Yes, there is okay." He knew he would be victim of her temper but he would not react to it. "We _were_ friends. And we were alike. I forgot about us, I forgot about our relationship. Because I focused on the bad."

"Good. That's what I'm doing."

"But you shouldn't. And I shouldn't have. We worked. We could have worked. But I didn't want us to work." Because he was a fucking moron. "I didn't give us a chance." Even now, as he was admitting how wrong he was, his heart was hammering. "I focused on what was wrong and not what was right."

"And I don't care."

It was too late to speak those words. It was too late to try to win her over. She had given him many chances and he threw them all away. She was done waiting for him to come around.

He gripped at her shoulders and then, forced her to turn around. Although, she let him. She could have resisted but she did not. Even though she was now facing him, she was not looking at him. Instead, she focused her gaze to the left. He gripped her chin and tugged until she was meeting his eyes. "I'm a fucking moron."

"Yes you are. But I don't care."

Her heart rate was picking up, the deafening sound was filling her ears but she was determined to put on a brave face. He did not get to do this. He did not get to throw them away time after time and then come back like this. She was done with him. It was why she had her mother make the special remedy. It was why she was done with all of this foolishness. She should have walked away.

"I'll make you care."

That sounded like a challenge.

And it was.

He did not waste a beat before capturing her lips with his - in front of everyone. He tugged at her bottom lip, he ran his tongue over the seam of her lips; he took all of her mouth. At first she was stiff against him, her body refusing to give in. A heat covered her cheeks as he ignored both their surroundings and her body language.

When he finally pulled away, she knitted her eyebrows together. "If you think one fucking kiss is gonna-"

But she did not get to finish her sentence because he stole her lips once more. And her voice along with it.

 _It was not fair_.

-M-


	25. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here we are. I know I was not always the best at updating, and there were a lot of ups and downs but here we are! I wanna thank everyone who tuck around and took the time to read and review. You are all amazing.

 

It was never easy.

Then again, she could not quite remember the last time her life had been described as easy. It might appeared as though she obtained everything that she wanted, but she did not. She did fight for a lot of it though. That included her relationship with Goten. She made him suffer quite a lot in the beginning. After all, he had broke her heart more than once and she was not above returning the favor. She did accept his kisses, she did allow him to pursue her despite the fact that he should not have even been allowed near her.

She had been in love with him her whole life.

It was not that easy to let go of her feelings.

She had also given her father an earful after the little stunt he had pulled. He was not allowed to simply mingle in her life they way he had. Although, she did take pride in the fact that he had yet to get involved in her brother's life the way he got involved in hers. It did give her some bragging rights and the title of the favorite child. Not that she ever doubted her status as such. She had kept her mother's little concoction. She had even told Goten she had kept it. He had to earn back her trust and he had to show her that she was a prize, not an embarrassment.

She made him work hard.

And despite how much it was killing her, he was prohibited from touching her.

If he wanted her, he had to earn it.

There was also a lot for them to figure out. What were they going to do? How were they going to live? She was nowhere ready for anything resembling a marriage. She might had been waiting for him for a long time… but it did not mean she was ready to jump in. Their relationship was not stable and they had quite a few things they needed to figure out first. However, the more time they seemed to spend together, the less they were constantly attacked by memories - which she was grateful for.

He might know that she had spent her whole life in love with him but he did not need to know every single little embarrassing thought she ever had about him. She did not care how bonded they were. She still wanted some privacy in her life. Plus, it was not as though one love declaration was going to erase all the doubts and the pain in her heart. It would take her a bit before she truly believe he was being honest with her. She needed to know that it was coming form the real Goten and not from the bond that was tying them together. After all, being together had cost them a few things. There was still some tension with her brother and Goten and Gohan had yet to speak again.

But he did not seem to mind that.

Or he did and he did not share it with her. Which was also an issue in itself. After all, had they not agreed to be honest with one and another?

_"B… I should have listened."_

_"You're telling me."_

_The happiness surrounding the moment at the mall had dissipated. Now, they were left with the same awkwardness as before. There was still so much to talk about and it felt like it was absolutely hopeless to try._

_"Why should I believe you?"_

_"Because I don't wanna lose you." He sighed. "Before all this, you were important to me. I don't wanna lose you."_

_"So you're settling. You want me in your life, so you'll put up with this to have it."_

_Sometimes, she was the most amazing person in his life. Other times, she was the worst brat he had ever met. He knew why she was doing this. And he also knew he perhaps deserved it but it did not make it any easier to deal with it. There was not any magic solution for them or a guideline for them to follow. They had to make it up as they went and it was precisely what he was attempting to do. If only she gave him that one last chance. He did not want to disappoint again._

_"That's not what I'm saying?"_

_"Does it matter? What you say and what you do are two different things."_

_"Okay, I hurt you. And I'm a moron. You know what, if I fail again. Take your little miracle solution."_

_She certainly did not need his permission to do so. She could do it right now if she wanted._

_"I can do it when I want."_

_"I know." He reached out for her hand and intertwined their fingers. "I fucked up. I don't care okay. I don't care. The world doesn't even know who I am anyway." They always had to pretend they were weaker than they actually were. They had to let someone else win to make good figure. He did not owe this world anything because this world did not know who he was deep inside. Bura knew and she understood better than others. She was the one to whom he owed the truth._

_"Don't you forget it."_

_"I never could."_

_Everyone knew that Bura Briefs always had her way._

_"It's gonna include a lot of grovelling."_

_'I know."_

_"I lot of begging."_

_"I know."_

_"And no sex."_

_That one he did not know. But he pretended he did. "I know." He should not have expected her to be anything else than prideful._

_"I'm gonna need a lot of things."_

_"I'm aware of that."_

_"Good."_

For the most part, he had held his part of the bargain. At first, it had begun rather slowly with small gestures like flowers - he did not even remember her favorite flowers - and then it moved on to surprise visits, little dates out and about. They were going at it slowly but she figured it was the safest way. After all every time they collided and burned, they were left broken and hurt. She was not for slow well thought out long action plans. But this was what they needed if they wanted to have a chance at making it work.

They had wait to _fuck_ since she had agreed to let him have this ultimate chance. She had indeed kept in her room the concoction but she did hope she would not have to use it. Even though it cost her a lot of herself, Goten was a little bit her prize. And winning was something she enjoyed immensely. Regardless, she was keeping herself at bay. Of course, it did not mean she did not have any desire, or that she did not want what he could offer her. But she simply was strong headed and she was going to have this her way. They did cuddle and - well sleep.

Like in this moment. She had slept over.

And she loved taunting him. She would drop subtle sign, as though it was going somewhere but then she would take it away. It was a bit childish but he had completely crushed her ego and it was well time that he helped her lift her esteem one more time. He did not complain. Sometimes she could see the small twinge in his pants but he did not mention it. Apparently his years of martial arts and meditation were paying off. At least she was not going to torture him forever.

As per usual, she had awoken before him. Despite the fact that he was in a deep slumber, he still had his arms wrapped around her while her head rested upon his strong, muscular chest. She was used to strong men around her but there was something about Goten's frame that was different. And though she feared no one, and her saiyan blood ran deep within her, there was a sense of security tied up with having him present. They were few stronger than her on this planet and he was one of them. He could handle her and whatever she might throw his way. That thought was indeed very pleasing to her.

There was a shift in the bed and suddenly, she felt a kiss being pressed to the top of her head. She tilted her chin upward, moving her angle and allowing her to see Goten's awaked face. His hair looked like he had gone to war, but there was nothing new. Nothing could be done about the Sons' hair. Kami had she tried. He had smile on his face as he gazed upon her. He was more demonstrative which did please her bruised ego. They had also allowed themselves to talk. The memories had started the work for them, but there was something they actually needed to say. And they had. Of course, most of the things he had finally realized, she had known for a long time already.

"Morning."

"Morning."

Mornings were quieter when they were spent in his apartment rather than her house. Unfortunately, her house included too many prying ears and she preferred the privacy that they were offered here. Granted, it was not as big as what she was used to but she did not need more. It felt more like a relationship when they were here. As though they had this small piece of paradise hidden away for their eyes only. It did make her mother call more, but she worried. After all, their relationship kept spinning in every direction. Her father had remained out of it so far. Then again, it was probably because he had won. He did not need to get involve again.

It worked for him.

"Are you hungry?"

"Are you really asking a saiyan that?" she asked, her tone laced with amusement.

"You're right, stupid question." Sometimes, when they awoke like this, he wanted nothing more than to tangle himself up with her body and never let her leave the bed. There was a need hidden deep inside of him. He wanted her to smell like him, he wanted to taste her and wrap himself around her. But he held himself back. It was the price he had to pay for his stubbornness. It was quite entertaining to think he had ended up the stubborn one. He always thought he was easy going. But his way of life had almost cost him someone important.

She had always been there. Sometimes, she had been in the background. Other times, she had been front and centre. He had simply been to blind to notice it and now he was paying the price. He would be lying if he said that sometimes, he did not hate himself. He did have a hard time with the age difference. It remained there, plaguing at him. But he also constantly reminded himself that on top of being half human, they were half saiyan. It was different. She was different. How could she not be? She had to live her life at a high speed while combining two ways of life. And though he got to enjoy his childhood a lot more than she had, he understood how difficult it was to juggle being a hybrid.

And so, when the thoughts were overwhelming him, he would remind himself of the good.

It would not all solve itself in a matter of weeks or months. But, he knew the efforts were worth it. When he was with her, he could fully be himself. And that even included acting upon his saiyan half. Which was something he was still learning how to do. Because of who her father was, she always embraced that half of herself. He was different. Plus, his father had not grown up saiyan, he had grown up human. It changed things.

He did not know if the mating had been the best thing to happen. He did not know if they would have ended up together otherwise. Actually if he was being completely honest with himself, he knew that they would not have ended up in this situation. Bura had too much pride and he was too far deep in his values. It would have not happened. But the main point was that it did happen and they _were_ together. And it was not the worst thing. He liked it. The more he let go, the more he found himself happy. There was no lie, no dancing around issues, no pretending to be something that he was not.

It worked.

There was some pain, some issues that needed to be worked upon but it was nothing that could not be overcome.

Faith had a twisted sense of humour but in their case, it had ended up working out.

"I can make ya some food?" he proposed. Bura was usually a lot easier to deal with once she had some food. When she was hungry, the genes she had inherited from her father had a tendency to emerge. He preferred it when she was more like Bulma. Actually, did he? He did not know. It was not fair. He preferred it when she was _herself_. But with some food in her stomach.

That was worded better.

"I would not mind some food."

Goten was not like her. He had grown up in a household where his mother was the one who made the food. Which was quite the opposite of her. He was excited when Chichi made food and she feared the house would burn down when her mother was near a stove. For someone who was genius, she was utterly stupid when she was in a kitchen. Regardless, the recent times living by himself and thanks to some advice from his mother, Goten was quite handy in the kitchen. She supposed it was a skill she should attempt to work on. She had never really… cooked.

"Yes ma'am," he joked as he yanked the blankets away from their body. He had a lot to make up for and he figured a few breakfasts in bed might help him be on her good side. He saw it sometimes. The flash of pains, the broken ego. And no, honestly, he could not take all the blame. But he was the one who tried the least. And he would be the one trying the hardest for the time being.

He was about to lift his body from the bed when she used her strength to keep him down. "Actually," she began with a tilted head. "I thought maybe we could do another kind of treat first." Her eyes were gleaming as she shifted her position. Her palms were flat against his chest as she moved herself to be straddling him.

He had been nice.

He had been trying.

What kind of mate would she be if she did not reward him?

Plus, she did have to condition him. The nicer he was to her, the more treats he got. It was an investment for the future. She had seen her mother use that trick once or twice…

She slowly lowered herself until her mouth was at level with his growing cock. He tried to keep himself steady, his hands by his side as he watched her, completely enthralled by her every movement. Indeed, the mating had been a random stroke of luck.

He could see his life with her - forever.

-The End-


End file.
